Bruised, Broken & Healed
by Helennnn
Summary: Life at the border was not easy and with the threat of war looming over their heads, security must be tightened and extra precautions must be taken. Between all of the fighting for survival and protecting their loved ones, their village, there are some who are still trying to figure out who they are. There is suffering, loss, lust and fear. What will the outcome of the war be?
1. Prologue

**Non-Mass**

* * *

**Bruised, Broken & Healed  
**By: Helennnn

* * *

**Prologue**

_Crow,_

_Okay, I know you can probably tell already, but this is not Taka. I think it's a little (very) obvious, to be honest. His writing is much more feminine than mine – I'm often told that I have a doctor's handwriting. Wouldn't surprise me, really. I __am__ a doctor._

_Anyway, you're most likely skimming through that first paragraph, wondering why the hell I'm writing to you instead of your adorable little brother. Long story short, we were on a mission, we kicked ass, got ambushed right at the end when we were on the border and Taka very foolishly overused a certain eye technique and is on strict bed rest. Great. I'm starting to sound like our orange–clad, idiot of a teammate. If you're guessing who I am, yes. I'm the girl with the large forehead._

_I'm rambling, sorry._

_Taka wanted me to inform you that until he can take the bandages off his eyes and his bones are healed, I will be writing to you in his place. He said feel free to stop writing because I'm quite annoying (he's lucky that he's already injured otherwise he'd be going straight through the walls of your lovely home and I know that your mother wouldn't be happy with me for that!), but I can tell that he wants to hear from you._

_In reply to your last letter, aside from his injuries, Taka is doing well. They shouldn't take too long to heal and I'm taking good care of him, although I may end up pummelling him if he continues to grunt "hn" at me instead of actually replying. Your parents are doing well, too, by the way. Your mother hopes that you will be returning soon, as does Taka. Your father doesn't really say much, but I think he misses you, too._

_Again, I'm rambling. I'm sorry! Taka is facing the window, brooding like always and expecting me to somehow read his mind and put pen to paper to tell you what I find. I wish I could read his mind. It would make speaking with him so much easier, instead of talking __at__ him. Really, Crow–san, you should teach your little brother how to be polite the moment you get back! Being around Whiskers (that is what I have dubbed our orange–clad teammate, since I don't know whether or not Taka mentions us and has cool nicknames for us both) is having a bad effect on him._

_It may be best to close up the letter like this. I'm sorry if there was anything you wanted to know about. Include it in your reply and I'll tell you the answers if I have them. Other than that, how are you doing? Are you eating well?_

_Please be safe, Crow–san._

_Cherry._


	2. The Reply

**Chapter 1 – The Reply**

_Cherry,_

_Yes, it was rather obvious the moment I received my letter that it was not Taka who wrote to me. Your handwriting is one I recognise vaguely, but also one that surprised me._

_Adorable? More like foolish. Taka should know better than to strain his eyes in such a way, especially considering that if he continues using it that way, his eyes will begin to deteriorate until he is blind. Keep an eye on him, Cherry–san and do not allow my foolish little brother to do such a thing to himself._

_I am grateful that you have taken up the task of writing to me in Taka's place. Word from home is rare and when my team and I do receive information, or simply gossip, it is vague at best. As you are most likely aware, we can not go into details over these letters, Cherry–san. If they were to fall into the wrong hands, our positions would be given away._

_No, I suppose my mother wouldn't enjoy having a Taka–sized hole through the walls of our home, but she will understand your reasoning. I do not expect my father to say much._

_You should stop apologising so much. There is no need for you to be sorry._

_Also, reading minds could be a very dangerous ability. Would you abuse such a technique? Many others would._

_Teaching Taka manners would be like telling a hungry lion not to devour me. Impossible. Taka is too much like our father. Even when he is wrong, he must be right. Whiskers – it is a fitting name for your friend. Taka usually dubs him as "the idiot", however your name for him is far less insulting. As for you, I believe he called you by "Cherry" also._

_There was not much that Taka needed to reply to. As for myself, I am doing well. My team are currently resting for a day or two at base camp until we receive our next orders. After that, we will set out, so I will be unable to read and reply until we return. There is no telling how long that will take. It could range from a single day to several months._

_Thank you for your concern, Cherry–san, but it is unnecessary._

_I also hope that you do not write your own mission reports as "we kicked ass, got ambushed right at the end when we were on the border and Taka very foolishly overused a certain eye technique" is hardly acceptable, wouldn't you think? Even for a 'long story short', it is rather vague._

_Crow_

* * *

Sakura smiled to herself and set down the letter.

"Was that okay, Sasuke–kun?"

"Hn."

It took everything in her not to scream at him.

Due to being the proud, arrogant, stick–up–the–ass guy that he was, Sasuke demanded that only she should be the one to heal him. He wouldn't even allow Tsunade to heal him! Oh the blonde had looked about ready to tear into him, but Sakura had instead sighed and agreed before she could. It had been late and she hadn't been in the mood for arguments. After taking a soldier pill, Sakura had tried to heal as much of Sasuke's wounds as possible before she collapsed with exhaustion. It had been strange to wake up beside Sasuke, but before she could be startled, he had huffed, muttering about not making it a habit of sharing his bed and that he had only pulled her onto it to sleep because it would be annoying having a pink haired medic passed out on his bedroom floor.

Like their sensei, Sasuke wasn't particularly fond of hospitals, despite the fact that he and Naruto had spent quite a bit of time in them. And no, not all visits were because of missions–gone–wrong. Some were because her teammates were absolute idiots who didn't know when enough was enough. So, instead of being in the hospital like he should be, Sasuke was currently in his own home, with his own personal healer (her) and his own slave (his mother). He was such a mama's boy.

Glancing up at him, Sakura thought about when and how she had realised her love for him was not romantic. They had been at a party and when Sakura noticed that Sasuke wasn't enjoying himself (which didn't surprise her since he hated being crowded and even _she_ had started to feel a little closed in and claustrophobic), she had asked if he would take a walk with her as she had a bit of a headache. Like she had been expecting, Sasuke had hesitated for a moment, wondering which was worse: staying in such a crowded place, or taking a walk with the girl who had a not–so–subtle crush on him.

For a moment she had thought that Sasuke would rather stay at the party. However a moment later, he had nodded once and led the way out. Around an hour later, they were sitting on top of the Hokage monument, comfortable with the silence as they looked out across the village, watching as many lights began to go out when families decided it was time for bed. It hadn't been long until he called her name, prompting her to turn to face him. However instead of seeing Sasuke at least a foot away from her, he was by her side.

And then he was kissing her.

It shocked her, but it didn't take Sakura long to return his kiss. It wasn't until their tongues began to caress one another, however, that they began to feel a little awkward and even uncomfortable. With a frown, Sasuke had pulled back, looking down at her for a moment until he closed his eyes and sighed. Before he could tell her that he didn't feel that way for her, though, Sakura had surprised him by beating Sasuke to it. It seemed to wound his pride a little, but he had given her a genuine smile and nodded.

Thankfully, their kiss had never made things awkward between them and honestly, Sakura was grateful that she had discovered her true feelings at the age of fourteen instead of possibly much later on in her life. At least this way she wasn't wasting her time. In fact, having those feelings sorted out seemed to bring them closer together. Not romantically, but in a friendship way. Sasuke no longer thought that she was an annoyance and Sakura no longer believed that the sun shined out of his ass.

"Oi, Sakura." she blinked in surprise, clearing her thoughts and smiling sheepishly. "What are you thinking about?"

He couldn't see her. His eyes were still covered by bandages to block out the light. Due to how much he had overused his sharingan, even in their usual dark state, his eyes were extremely sensitive. When she had been healing Sasuke the night before, she had noticed that his eyes were bloodshot and he kept squinting. After a while she had had to dim the lights to try and make him more comfortable, but in the end, covering them was the only way to alleviate him of his pain and prevent further damage.

In case he needed help (not that Sasuke would admit to such a thing), she had to stay close by and Mikoto had set up the spare room for Sakura across the hall from his, saying it was the least she could do. Despite being the matriarch of the Uchiha clan and her work being necessary, Sakura thought that the woman worked way too hard. She cooked, cleaned and went to the grocery store. She trained. She went to clan meetings. She dealt with that stubborn, cold husband of hers daily. She had to make difficult decisions whilst wearing a cold, expressionless mask. It was… It was maddening, unfair.

"Nothing." Sakura replied quietly, shifting in her position.

Sasuke was leaning up against the headboard of his bed whilst she was sat by his side, doing the same. To make it more comfortable on their backs, they had propped his pillows against the headboard, leaning back onto them. "You're lying." he huffed and she just knew that he would be rolling his eyes at her. "I don't need to see you to be able to tell."

It was kind of creepy just how well Sasuke knew her. It wasn't only her, either. He knew Naruto like that, too. Perhaps not Kakashi, but he still knew him pretty well, too. More than she or Naruto did. "How?"

"You fidget and when you're lying, you always take a deep breath before speaking. Don't try changing the subject."

He was bored. That much was obvious. It had been a whole week since their mission, but due to healing half–naturally, Sasuke was on strict bed rest. Also, because of the amount of damage his eyes suffered, there was no telling when he would regain his sight. It would definitely (hopefully) come back, but it would take a while and Sasuke would also have to take it easy. If it wasn't for him, however, they would all be dead or even worse, the Kyuubi would have gone on a rampage, so she couldn't complain.

"Honestly, Sasuke–kun, it's nothing. I'm just thinking about your injuries and how long they may take to heal. Mostly, I'm thinking about your sight."

"My sharingan?"

She shook her head, but remembering that he couldn't see her, she sighed. "You strained your eyes pretty badly this time, Sasuke–kun and your eyes are beginning to deteriorate. Itachi–san mentioned that that will happen until you eventually go blind if you continue the way you are." Sasuke nodded once, growing more silent. He had heard what his brother said as she had read the letter out loud to him. "I promise I'll do everything I can to try and prevent it, but you're going to have to cooperate. No more overusing your eyes."

Sasuke sighed. It was much easier said than done. Sometimes, his sharingan activated of its own accord when he grew too angry. It was like it reacted to his negative emotions. Once, it had even activated to a positive reaction, but that was simply because he had subconsciously wanted to make sure he remembered the moment. Despite hating to admit it (even to himself), Sasuke knew that he was emotional. Even though he could hide those emotions, they were still there and they were powerful. People just couldn't see them. Also, because they were on the same team, when he had become jonin, Sasuke had been given the task of being the Kyuubi's watcher. It was up to him to make sure it didn't go on a rampage. Sasuke knew it was never Naruto who did such a thing. Like him with his sharingan, the Kyuubi took advantage of Naruto's emotions.

But if he lost his sight… Who would he be without his eyes? Without his sharingan? Would his father disown him? It seemed a little harsh, but Sasuke could see his father doing such a thing. To abuse the power of their eyes was strictly forbidden. Many in their clan had gone blind from doing such a thing and they were treated like those who never managed to activate their sharingan. They were cast aside and ignored, treated like they were not even a member of the clan. Their eyes, their sharingan, was everything to them. It was who they were.

"How can you prevent this from happening again?"

Sitting up slightly, Sakura stared at his face with unhidden pity. Since he couldn't see her, she wasn't worried about him seeing the look and getting pissed off with her. She worked hard on keeping the pity out of her voice, though. "I want to take a look at your sharingan, but we'll have to wait until your eyes are at least halfway to being healed completely. To try and activate your sharingan now will be like taking a kunai to yours eyes." Sasuke inwardly cringed at just the thought. "Your eyes don't hurt and your headache is gone for the moment because of the numbing effect the healing chakra I used on you to ease you of the pain has, but you'll be in extreme agony if you try anything now. Wait a while and I promise that the moment your eyes are up to handling the strain of the amount of chakra your sharingan uses, I will begin healing them."

His eyebrows mashed together beneath the bandages. "Sakura…"

"I know." she whispered almost inaudibly, but he could hear her clearly. Placing a hand on his arm, she dropped her head to his shoulder. "I'll do everything I can to save your sight, Sasuke–kun. I know how much it means to not only you, but also your clan." He nodded silently by her side, not returning her hold, but not pushing her away, either. It had always been that way with him. "Sasuke–kun, I know that you may not want to tell me, but I know that his eyes are used far much more than yours, does your brother…?"

"I don't know." Sasuke answered truthfully when she trailed off. "Sometimes… Sometimes I see this look in his eyes. It's like they're unfocused, like he's not seeing anything in front of him, but I've seen that look in Kakashi's eyes, too."

ANBU. Unless you genuinely didn't mind the dirty work, then you would be psychologically scarred. There were no ifs or maybes. It was a fact. That was why her team had decided to stick to being jonin. Well, that and the fact that Naruto wanted to be Hokage and not only that, but he told them both that he wanted them there, as his advisers. They couldn't do that if they were out on dangerous missions, risking their lives or worse, dead.

"The job haunts all ANBU agents, I guess." Sakura mumbled. "Kakashi–sensei once told us that once you join ANBU, you never truly get out of it. It's a lifelong commitment." He nodded once. "I wish it wasn't that way. I understand that Kakashi–sensei and Itachi–san are talented shinobi and their skills are often needed, but…"

When she trailed off again, Sasuke sighed. "I know."

* * *

**A/N - During Kakashi's ANBU arc filler, Sarutobi Hiruzen (the third Hokage) stated that he wanted Sasuke to become the Kyuubi's/Naruto's watcher. So I decided to make it happen in this story. Their bond is incredibly strong and if you all remember, the first time team seven reunited, he managed to get into Naruto's mind, to see the Kyuubi himself with the aid of his sharingan. Does that makes sense? Or am I talking a load of crap? Hahaha!**

**Anyways.**

**I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! :-)**


	3. We Need Them!

**Chapter 2 – We Need Them!**

_Crow,_

_Don't think that I didn't pick up on your teasing comment at the end of your letter! Usually, I write the reports for not only myself, but also Whiskers and Dog. I learned not too long after being on the same team as them that neither are to be trusted with writing their own reports. One always manages to spill ramen on it (when he can be bothered to even write one up) whilst the other always hands them in late. One time, Dog managed to hand a report in over three months late!_

_I still don't understand why shishou has not punched a hole through his chest. I can tell she's losing her patience with him. I can also tell that she knows I'm the one writing their reports as it's not that hard to notice the same, scruffy handwriting, but she doesn't question me or bring it up. It makes her life easier, I suppose. I'm glad. I don't know how Whiskers is going to cope when he takes over._

_Don't be that way! I saw a picture of you and Taka when you were both younger. Your mother was showing me the pictures and I have to say, you were both rather adorable!_

_I already grilled him about overusing his abilities and Taka has agreed to start taking it easy. I had to explain to him about the possibility of him going blind. He didn't seem to like that. He went all quiet and broody – more so than usual. I promise I will take care of your brother and like I told Taka, I will do everything I possibly can to prevent him from going blind, but I don't have much information on the technique and Taka doesn't seem entirely comfortable with me asking your father. So until his eyes are healed, we are playing the waiting game. Hopefully the damage caused won't be permanent. I don't think I would be able to tell Taka if it was._

_I'll keep you updated on the latest gossip, Crow–san! I know that that is what you're secretly asking for. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me and luckily for you, my best friend just so happens to be the biggest gossip in the village. Also, Taka warned me already about not going into too much detail, telling me that I could be putting you at risk. Does that include gossip? If so, then poor you. Your heart must be breaking._

_Your mother is a very understanding woman, Crow–san! Of course she would understand if I punch her youngest son through the wall. He's been treating her like she's nothing more than a slave recently! I swear that jerk thinks he's royalty or something of the sort. I told him to quit treating her that way, as she seems rather busy, but your mother would simply smile and accept it! She's a saint, Crow–san. A saint! I would have lost my temper long ago._

_Yeah, I can't help but apologise. It's sort of a habit that I picked up and once I put pen to paper, it's like the words just flow out of me and onto the page. Strange, right?_

_Oh that friend I was just telling you about abuses that particular technique all the time! Just the other day she did it just to give me the details of her latest fling. I think I would abuse the ability, but at the same time, I wouldn't. I want to know what people are thinking about me, even if the truth hurts me, but then again, everybody deserves their privacy. What about you? Would you abuse such a gift?_

_I can see Taka calling Whiskers "the idiot". As for "Cherry"… Well, it's not too hard to guess why he called me that, right? It's partly the reason why I chose the name myself. It's simple and it'd make it easier for you to remember who I am, despite the fact that we have never spoken face–to–face. I don't think that we have, anyway. Unless that one time you answered the door to me counts. Does it? We didn't speak for very long. I'd say ten seconds, really, since Taka appeared and demanded that we left for training._

_It's great to hear that you're well! Make sure you're all well–rested before you set out again. Doctor's orders! Can't have you all getting sick._

_My concern is necessary. I can't help but worry! Years of being on a team with your brother, Whiskers and a sensei who could be on death's door and __still__ refuse to seek medical attention, taught me to be that way._

_Reply as soon as you can, Taka is quite restless. I don't think he likes being on strict bed rest. He likes hearing from you, though. So do I!_

_Be safe._

_Cherry._

* * *

It was strange standing amongst the lovers for the men who were on the same mission as Itachi. They were all clutching their letters tightly to their chests but the moment the chunin who collected the mail reached for their letters, they all but threw them at him, like they were desperate for them to reach their men. That didn't surprise Sakura. There was no telling what day would be your last in their line of work.

Smiling politely, she handed over the letter to the chunin, who returned her smile before he moved onto the next woman.

Due to it being imperative to keep their positions hidden, there were certain times during the week that you could send your letters off. Every Tuesday afternoon. The messenger bird carried letters twice a week (to and from) and was disguised to look like nothing more than an average bird. Only certain shinobi from Konoha can distinguish it and pick it out from the others.

It was crowded in the waiting room at the Hokage tower. All letters were inspected by Tsunade before being sent, to make sure that nothing was revealed if their enemies got their hands on the letters. If that happened they could be in big trouble. Considering that most of the other women were civilians it shouldn't have been necessary, but Sakura could understand. She could also understand why Tsunade had taken it upon herself to inspect the letters instead of ordering the chunin before them to do it.

Letters were personal and sometimes, people found it easier to speak with one another when writing down their feelings. Sometimes, the contents of the letters were not so pure (and the chunin standing not too far from her seemed to be only fourteen). Tsunade knew that feeling of longing and there was no judgement in her eyes. She understood them. What she read, never left her mind. In fact it made her fight harder to protect their village, to protect the love she had once experienced, yet lost all too soon, before she and Dan even had the chance to experience it fully.

Also, Tsunade was always sober when she read the letters. It wasn't until after she had been through them all that she started drinking.

Despite knowing that her shishou wouldn't appreciate it, Sakura couldn't help but pity her. It couldn't be easy going through those letters, of reading about a love she had wanted to keep. Sakura wasn't sure what she would do if she was in Tsunade's place.

Sighing, Sakura left the Hokage tower.

The men who were away on that certain mission have been gone for over seven months now. Sometimes they were allowed a week or so to return home and see their loved ones, but it was a rare thing to happen. They were staying along the border of Fire Country, watching and waiting for enemies.

Lately, things haven't been too good between Konoha and Iwa. At first it had started with small disagreements. However, it wasn't long until things began to heat up and turn deadly. It didn't help that the Tsuchikage and the Hokage were both stubborn, hard–headed people. They refused to stand down or give up – their pride would not allow it. Not to mention that some of the things the Tsuchikage was asking for, were preposterous. He wanted more from them, more than what they could give.

The other hidden villages were not getting involved, although the Kazekage had told them that if they needed his help, he would help from within the shadows. Sakura couldn't blame Gaara for being so cautious as he was still being closely watched. Not many trusted him as Kazekage because not only was he the youngest there had ever been, but he was also the jinchūriki for Shukaku. Over the years he had learned how to control Shukaku, but they were still wary of him, wondering if one day Gaara would snap and go back to his old ways.

There was no telling how long the teams who were sent to the border would be gone for, but there was no helping that. They were some of their best shinobi and Tsunade trusted them with protecting their village, their nation. Sasuke had mentioned to her before that this wasn't the longest Itachi had been away on a mission before (over eighteen months was his longest) but Sakura hadn't failed to notice the twitch between his eyebrows, like they wanted to mash together so that he could scowl.

He missed his brother. It was as simple as that.

Altogether there were seven base camps spread out along the border and according to Sasuke, Itachi's team were staying at base camp four. They were in the dead centre and you would have to be a fool to try and attack there. It had been Shikamaru's strategy. Their enemies would believe that they would put their strongest around the edges, believing that Iwa would try a sneak attack but instead they would ambush base camp four and barge their way into their nation. What Iwa didn't know, however, was that there were three geniuses staying at base camp four. Uchiha Itachi and Shisui as well as Hyuuga Neji.

The only reason Sakura knew about them was because she had been there during the meeting with Tsunade, Shizune and Shikamaru where they were decided. There was also two other teams staying at base camp four, but Sakura only knew four of the shinobi. Their temporary captain, Yamato. A member of ANBU who had filled in for Naruto when he left to train with Jiraiya. His name was Sai. The other two were Izumo and Kotetsu. They were there for official business, like the stuff they helped Tsunade with. She didn't know the rest. They were all male, though. As far as she was aware of, no kunoichi had been sent to the border. She wasn't sure why. Perhaps they weren't needed? It wouldn't be that surprising considering just who the teams were made up of. They were all prodigies and geniuses in their own rights.

It still seemed rather sexist to her. However, given who their Hokage was and the fact that she _hated_ chauvinistic pigs, Sakura knew that it wasn't sexism. Maybe it really was that kunoichi weren't needed? Again, when you look at who had been chosen…

Yeah, they weren't needed.

"Sakura!"

Sakura frowned as she stopped walking and glanced over her shoulder, but then smiled politely when she noticed it was Tenten calling her name, running towards her and waving her hand in the air. They had never really spoken before and on the few times that they had, they had been on a mission, meaning they couldn't stand around chatting. Sakura couldn't see Tenten doing such a thing even if they hadn't been on a mission. Yes, the girl was bubbly when she wanted to be, but she was also fierce and determined – just like her fiancé. Well, he wasn't bubbly. Sakura had to bite back a smirk at the thought of him being _bubbly_.

"What's up?" Sakura smiled when Tenten finally reached her. It didn't take too long.

"I saw you just now, at the Hokage tower?" the younger kunoichi nodded, hearing the small note of doubt in Tenten's voice. "I didn't know you had somebody you know in the teams on the border! Well, besides Kakashi–sensei, but I never would have thought that he was the type to write letters."

"He would if they were about his books." she rolled her eyes before adding, "I've written to Kakashi–sensei a few times, but his replies are always so vague and slow. I still write to him, just not as much. He's quite busy." Like always. "I was actually sending a letter to Itachi–san."

Tenten's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. "_Uchiha Itachi_?" she demanded and Sakura nodded slowly. "B–But why _him_?"

It didn't completely surprise Sakura that Tenten was so shocked, as Itachi was well–known in Konoha for being a loner and not only that, but his aura alone was intimidating, scaring off the weaker shinobi who couldn't handle being in his presence. There was only a handful of people who could get passed that aura and it saddened Sakura that it had to be that way for Itachi. Apparently what they say about geniuses was true – they had a hard time interacting with those below them. It wasn't because they believed themselves to be better (even if it did seem that way) it was because they just couldn't be understood. Most geniuses were antisocial. According to what Sasuke had once told her, Itachi was one of those.

Whenever Sakura spotted Itachi around Konoha, he was always alone or with another Uchiha named Shisui. They were both geniuses and from what she had heard, they were best friends, too. An unstoppable team. Rumour had it that many shinobi had given up when they found out they were facing Shisui and Itachi – some even say that the shinobi killed themselves before the Uchiha team could do it. Hopefully those were just rumours. She couldn't even begin to imagine the horror of watching somebody take their own life because they were too scared to fight you. It would make her feel like a monster.

Knowing that Sasuke wouldn't appreciate her telling anybody about his current predicament, Sakura smiled and shrugged. "Itachi–san is nice to talk to, despite what people say about him."

"I see." the brunette frowned.

Before she could ask any more questions, for Sakura could see the suspicion and curiosity in her chocolate brown eyes, she asked, "So how's Neji–san?" He was on Itachi's team. Yet another deadly addition. If the Uchiha men didn't get the opponents, then Neji definitely would. Nobody escaped his eyes, just like nobody escaped an Uchiha's. "You were sending a letter to him?"

"Oh, yeah, yeah!" Tenten smiled, her frown and suspicion disappearing, although not completely. That was fine. Just as long as Tenten didn't try asking any more questions. If she let it slip that Sasuke had damaged his eyes badly, then he would never forgive Sakura. In fact, the moment he was better, he would ask her if she wanted to spar one–on–one before kicking her ass into the ground. "Neji's doing fine. I was informing him on everything Lee has been doing. Gai–sensei, too, before he was also sent to the border. Deep down, I think he misses hanging around with them."

Sakura couldn't help but smile. "He grew up with their…"

"Youthfulness." she groaned. "Just don't say it too loud, Lee might hear you–"

"Tenten, we're–" a loud, unmistakable voice cut off and a bright smile graced his lips. "Sakura–san!"

Wow. Sakura blinked in surprise as Lee literally appeared out of nowhere. Could he really hear when people were talking about youth? It sounded like some sort of creepy, sixth sense or something.

"Lee–san."

"I told you." Tenten said with a knowing look before turning to Lee. "What is it?"

"We have a mission!" he stated, as loud and as energetic as always. Lee was currently hopping from foot to foot, looking impatient to get going. "We're going to base camp four!"

Tenten's eyes widened and her own bright smile graced her lips. "We are? Why?"

"There has been some suspicious activity and they need us!" Lee exclaimed and then looked down at the younger kunoichi. "Sakura–san, Tsunade–sama wishes to see you immediately. She says that it is important."

Important? What, did she lose her sake again? Sighing, Sakura nodded once, said her goodbyes and good lucks, before once again returning to the Hokage tower. It was so strange. Even though she barely knew her, Sakura felt happy for Tenten. She hadn't failed to notice the happiness in her brown eyes when she heard the news. Being in love like she and Neji were had to nice. To her, Neji seemed cold and distant, sometimes downright unapproachable, but maybe he acted differently when alone with Tenten? After all, Sasuke acted differently when with his team. He was more open with them than he was with anyone else.

When she arrived at the Hokage tower, it surprised her to find it so empty. There were no longer women crowding around the waiting area or standing by the entrance and the previous, loud chatter was now replaced with a silence that made her ears feel as though they were ringing. They cleared out pretty fast, didn't they?

Sakura knocked once on the door of Tsunade's office and once given the permission to enter, she did so silently, shutting the door behind her.

"Sakura."

"You wished to see me, shishou?"

The blonde was sat at her desk, the letters for those at the camps piled neatly on one side of the desk. Much to Sakura's surprise, neither Shizune nor Tonton were in sight. It wasn't all that strange, but Sakura hadn't been aware that Shizune had been sent out on a mission. The reason she knew that it was a mission and not work at the hospital was because today Sakura was supposed to be working at the hospital. Shizune was not on today's rota. In fact, she had no shifts for an entire week!

"How are Sasuke's eyes doing?"

Straight to the point like always. Tsunade hadn't even glanced up at her. "They're still highly sensitive to light and need more time to heal. I do what I can, but I don't have enough information on the sharingan to try anything risky." she couldn't take the risk of damaging Sasuke's eyes further. "The most I can do for him is relieve him of the pain and gradually heal the chakra burns."

"I see." Tsunade sighed, finally looking up as she folded her hands and covered her lips with them. "And you have no information on the sharingan at all? Besides the research I already gave you?" Sakura shook her head, feeling a little disappointed with herself because of that fact. If she had more information, if she could somehow talk Fugaku into giving her at least a tiny amount of details, then she could possibly save Sasuke's eyes and any other Uchiha who was experiencing the same thing! "What about Kakashi's sharingan? Have you ever worked on that?" Sakura nodded, but the grimace on her features told Tsunade she didn't have much information. None that was important or anything she didn't already know, anyway. "Damn it."

Sakura winced. "I can keep trying to talk Fugaku–"

"No. That would take far too long." the blonde practically growled as she sat back in her seat. "That bastard is as stubborn as I am and we need information on the sharingan _now_."

There was an urgency to her voice, making Sakura's body tense. "Why the rush?"

"Uchiha Shisui's eyes are deteriorating at a fast pace due to how much he has been using them. As you probably already know, he is one of few Uchiha who possess the Mangekyō sharingan. With this type of sharingan, he can use a certain technique that allows him to control the mind without anybody even realising it."

"And Shisui–san has been using that technique to prevent fights, making the enemy retreat." Tsunade nodded once, gritting her teeth. "How badly are his eyes damaged, shishou?"

"Bad enough that he can barely see a thing when his sharingan is deactivated."

How could he have allowed it to get so bad? Why hadn't Shisui ever informed the Hokage about his damaged eyes? Just as that thought came to mind, so did the reminder that Shisui was an Uchiha. Like other Uchiha, he was too proud to ever admit that he was in pain. He would rather stay there and go blind whilst defending Konoha rather than leaving and eventually going blind. At least, this way, he was doing everything he possibly could to protect their village.

"What about Itachi–san's eyes?" Sakura asked after a moment of silence. "He possesses the Mangekyō too, doesn't he?" she was certain Sasuke had mentioned something about it before.

Tsunade nodded. "According to Itachi and Shisui, one can unlock the Mangekyō when they experience the trauma of losing somebody the care for. For Shisui, it had been his parents. For Itachi, it had been when Orochimaru attacked the village during the chunin exams and attempted to place a cursed seal on Sasuke." There had been no attempting. Orochimaru _had_ put the cursed seal on Sasuke and her teammate had almost abandoned the village, but somehow, not too long afterwards, it had disappeared and he never thought about leaving again. Sakura had no idea how the hell that happened, but she knew that it had had something to do with Itachi and Shisui. Anko, too, surprisingly. "Sakura, I want you to be prepared to get called to base camp four within the next couple of weeks. I would rather we wait for Sasuke to be healed, as I want to send team seven, but if he is not healed in the next fortnight, you will be leaving without him and I will add a temporary member to your team. Is that understood?"

Temporary teammates or teams weren't too bad if she already knew them. When Sai had been on their team for several months, it had been uncomfortable because he and Sasuke didn't get on with one another. Sai had been placed on the team in Naruto's absence, as he had gone to train with Jiraiya for a while and she and Sasuke didn't want to stop going on missions and gaining more experience. That time wasn't particularly nice to remember, as Sasuke had been distant, had been considering taking Orochimaru up on his offer, but thankfully, he never did. Instead he trained with Kakashi and not only him, but also Anko and Itachi every now and then.

However, Sasuke wouldn't be happy to hear that she would be going to base camp four without him.

It seemed these next two weeks, Sakura was going to have to do a lot of digging to try and find whatever information she could.

Great.

"Yes, Tsunade–sama. Is there anything else?"

"Actually, there is." her tone took on a teasing note as Tsunade lifted a certain letter. "Since when were you and Itachi pen pals?"

The smirk on Tsunade's face made Sakura blush as she looked at the ground sheepishly. "You're not supposed to use those letters against people, shishou."

"Oh, I know." the blonde shrugged and her smirk only widened as Sakura continued to blush. "You're simply fun to tease. Almost as much as that Uchiha brat."

Sasuke. Tsunade enjoyed tormenting him, always saying crass things because, in her eyes, he was a prude. Sakura had to admit that it was pretty funny seeing him blush, as not a lot of people could make such a thing happen.

When it became obvious that Sakura was not going to reply, Tsunade sighed. "Don't mention in your next letter that you will be going to base camp four, Sakura. If somebody gets their hands on that letter, then you will be putting the entire camp as well as your team at risk. Do you understand?" Sakura nodded. "For now, I have sent team Gai to base camp four. When they return and fill me in on the extent to how badly Shisui's eyes are damaged, I will make my decision. I would rather wait a month or two, to give you the chance to try and get as much information and research as you possibly can, but we need Shisui and Itachi in top condition, Sakura. They are two of our most powerful shinobi. We cannot allow for either of them to lose their sharingan!"

It was a scary thought knowing that it pretty much all depended on her to make sure she saved their sight. Tsunade couldn't go out to the borders because not only did she need to stay in the village in case of an attack, but it was also far too dangerous for her to go to the borders. The amount of shinobi that had been killed for trying to pass the borders with their mission of assassinating the Hokage, was ridiculous. But they could never trace it back to the Tsuchikage and to accuse him of such a thing outright would cause _a lot_ of trouble.

"I'll speak with Sasuke–kun again and see if he can give me any information, but do I mention anything about Itachi–san and Shisui–san's eyes?"

For a moment, there was silence, telling her that Tsunade was thinking carefully about what to do. On one hand, telling Sasuke that his brother could lose his sight if Sakura didn't get that information, could save a lot of trouble of trying to persuade him. On the other hand, however, there was a chance that Itachi wouldn't want his family to know such a thing, or for anybody to know such a thing. The fact that not only his eyes, but also Shisui's, were deteriorating, meant that they now had a weakness. They probably had a couple that nobody knew about, but now this one was going to dominate all other weaknesses.

Unless Sakura could do her research, there was no doubt in Tsunade's mind that both Uchiha would eventually go blind. Simply overusing the ordinary sharingan, or even the byakugan, caused serious damage and burned out the eyes with chakra. What the hell sort of damage could the Mangekyō do? Tsunade didn't want to know, but it was her job to find out. It was now Sakura's job to find out, too.

She couldn't ask Itachi over their letters. Not only would he most likely ignore her for it, but if the letters got into the wrong hands, then they would have a serious problem. So that ruled out that certain possibility. There was only so much that Sasuke could tell Sakura and they couldn't risk having his clan class him as a traitor for handing over the already gathered research – it would crush Sasuke because his clan meant everything to him. Tsunade knew that Sakura wouldn't even consider doing something as risky as that.

"For now, work with whatever you have." Tsunade sighed as she rubbed her forehead. "I will summon Fugaku and make up a story about how many within his clan are losing their sight and unless we can continue with our research, they will continue to lose their sight until eventually, no Uchiha will be capable of seeing."

Sounded a little dramatic, Sakura thought with an inward grimace. Would Fugaku believe such a lie? "Perhaps you should say those with more advanced sharingan, Tsunade–sama." Sakura told her shishou honestly. "It will be hinting at Shisui–san and Itachi–san, but at the same time, also at himself." After all, Fugaku didn't become head of the clan from simply sitting on his ass all day. No he didn't possess the Mangekyō, but his sharingan was still powerful and not to be underestimated.

"Very well." she nodded. "Now go and see what you can get out of that brat. Come back to me with your results and we'll work from there."

* * *

**A/N – I don't think I have much to say... There was definitely something, but I can't remember now. Ugh. Oh well! If I remember, I'll post it in the next chapter.**

**HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! :-)**


	4. You Don't Remember?

**Chapter 3 – You Don't Remember?**

_Cherry,_

_The fact that Whiskers spills ramen on his reports does not surprise me. I cannot say that I am surprised by Dog, either. He has changed since the time we worked together._

_Perhaps it is because Dog is important to our village? He can't be of use if he is dead. The thought of Whiskers taking over is frightening._

_My mother is always showing off the family photographs to anybody who goes by the house. For some reason she believes that people visit because they want to see those pictures._

_Make sure you hold Taka to that promise. If you ask our father, he will most likely tell you no. However, if you look into eye techniques in the library within the district, I believe you will find something. Keep Taka by your side at all times if you go, for if anybody sees you, they will think that you are up to something. Considering the fact that his aren't as advanced as others, I doubt the damage will be permanent, but I am no doctor and I am also not there to examine them. I agree. It would not be easy telling him that he will never see again. He relies on his eyes as much as the rest of us._

_Yes. That is exactly why I continue to reply to your letters – I enjoy gossip. Also, by going into detail, you would not only put me in danger, but also my team and the rest of the camp. Be careful of what you say, but no, that does not include gossip. Lucky me._

_She is a very persistent woman, however, she has a big heart. Taka may be injured, but he should know not to take advantage of our mother – no matter how much of a mother's boy he is. Our mother will allow him to get away with it for a short while, though the moment she realises Taka can move around much more easily, he will be forced to fend for himself. I have heard all about your temper, Cherry–san, and I have to say, your latest record for the distance you have punched Whiskers across the village, is impressive._

_Habits are a hard thing to drop, but I suppose yours could be worse. Taka seems to have started adding the word "usuratonkachi" to the end of almost every sentence. I believe it has more to do with Whiskers rather than my brother calling everybody he encounters a moron. Like Taka, Whiskers also has a word he adds to his sentences. Do you?_

_People say that it is easier to write than to speak, so perhaps it is true._

_So she is a gossiper and can use mind techniques. I know exactly who your friend is already and I didn't even need to think about it. You call her Pig, don't you? The entire village knows of your rivalry and fights. Knowing exactly what people think of you is a tempting thought, but I would rather not. Sometimes it is easier to simply be the bigger person and get over your worry or paranoia. So no, I would not abuse the gift._

_I did not need the name "Cherry" to know who you are. You are the only one Taka would have write these letters. I agree that it is a simple codename, though._

_Aside from that one time where I opened the door to you, we have spoken twice before then, Cherry–san. I am not surprised that you do not remember as you were merely a child back then – around five or six, I would say. You had been separated from your parents during a festival and somehow managed to wander up to one of the training grounds, to the one where I was training at that moment in time. By the time you reached me, you were in tears and frightened because of the, if I recall correctly, "loud bangs". By "loud bangs", you meant fireworks._

_Whenever I tried to take you back to the festival, back to your parents, you would grow hysterical and the only thing that calmed you down had been picking flowers. It was around four hours later that you fell asleep under a tree, allowing me to take you home. The next day, as a thank you for taking care of their daughter as they had been extremely distressed and worried, your parents invited me over for dinner and told me I should bring Taka, too. I believe that is where your crush for him started._

_No, I suppose none of us can risk falling ill. I will make sure my team are well–rested._

_Cherry–san, your entire team is made up of people who could be dying and would still try to tell you they do not need help. Perhaps not so much Whiskers, as he has always been quite dramatic and loud, but definitely Taka and Dog. On some level, even __you__ have done such a thing._

_Despite his personality, Taka has always been energetic and obsessed with his training. I don't doubt that having to stay in bed all day is like torture to him. I enjoy receiving your letters. They are a nice change from the vague letters that seem as though a robot has written them._

_Crow_

* * *

"Robotic?" Sasuke scoffed. "He should be grateful I even write to him."

But Sakura wasn't focusing on Sasuke's annoyance, on the fact that he felt a little offended by what his older brother had said. Her mind was going into overdrive and excitement was coursing through her veins as well as adrenaline. Not long later, a gigantic grin was almost splitting her face in half.

Sensing her barely restrained happiness and the fact that she was suppressing a squeal, Sasuke sighed. If his eyes weren't still bandaged, he would have rolled them at her. He really hoped that his teammate wasn't developing a crush on his older brother. It would just be weird and strange. Perhaps even creepy if he looked at it a certain way. However, knowing his older brother the way he did, Sasuke knew that he would never return Sakura's feelings, so it would be best if he broke it to her now.

"Sakura," his annoyance was even more obvious now, "just because Itachi said he enjoys your letters, it doesn't mean anything other than he likes the change. He would have said the same if it had been Naruto who was writing to him."

She frowned, her happiness fading. "What are you talking about?"

"The fact that you can't even sit still because my brother complimented you."

"Wait, what? You think–" Sakura cut herself off with laughter. "Sasuke–kun, I'm not excited about that! I mean, sure, it's nice that your brother has somewhat acknowledged me, but that's not why I'm so happy."

This time, it was Sasuke who was frowning. "Then why are you?"

"Weren't you listening?" she asked, her voice shaking with a mixture of different emotions. "He gave me permission to go into the Uchiha library so that I can help you!"

Despite his eyes being covered, Sakura knew that they would have been wide with shock. "W–What?"

"As long as I have you by my side to prove to the other members of your clan that I'm not going to try anything or that I'm not delving into forbidden jutsu, then I should be able to do some research! Don't you get it, Sasuke–kun? If I can get the right information, if I can learn how to protect your eyes, I might be able to help you!"

His brother had done that? But… But why? Why was he giving Sakura so much trust? Unless you were a member of their clan (or Kakashi, in case he needed help with his sharingan, although he needed to be watched and allowed entry) then you were not permitted to enter their library. It was filled with Uchiha clan jutsu and the history of their clan. It was supposed to be top–secret! Not even the Hokage was allowed to enter unless she had permission from the head of the clan, from his father. And if this managed to trace back to Itachi, then he would be in so much trouble, especially since he was clan heir. Was he really willing to put so much at risk for him? Because he had been reckless with his eyes?

"What's the matter, Sasuke–kun?" Sakura frowned as she saw the expression on his face. It was close to how he looked when he was brooding, only this seemed a little sadder, yet warmer, at the same time.

It was silent for a few moments as his head continued to stay tilted towards the bed, as though he was staring at it. "Is there really a chance that this could be permanent?"

The breath left Sakura like she had been punched in the gut. Sasuke's voice sounded different. It was quieter, lower and there was a slight shake to it. If she didn't know any better, Sakura would have said that Sasuke sounded close to tears. She had only seen him this way once before and that had been when the Kyuubi had taken control of Naruto's body and began attacking the team. None of them had been prepared for it and Sakura had almost died during the attack as well as Kakashi. It had been up to Sasuke to stop Naruto. When she woke up a day later in the hospital with Naruto in the bed beside her and Kakashi on her other side, Sasuke had acted so out of character that she had been certain that she had died.

"Sasuke–kun, I–"

"Tell me the truth, Sakura."

His sharingan meant everything to him. Even Itachi had more or less admitted to that in his letter. It had taken the younger Uchiha brother so much longer to activate it and it was because of that that Sasuke treasured it. Maybe treasured was a strong word, but it was the truth.

"It… It could be." she whispered, her eyebrows knitting together as she fought back her tears. "I'm doing everything I can, but there's so much damage…" Sakura cleared her throat. "Tsunade–sama told me I need to do more research to be able to help you now." Maybe that was a small lie, but it wasn't entirely untrue. "She already taught me everything she knows about the sharingan. Your clan… They're so secretive about it, Sasuke–kun, so we can't do much without more research. She believes that… that those with more advanced, more powerful eyes, will all go blind if your father continues to deny us this information."

Realisation flooded his features. Well, it was more of a deadpan, but same difference. "Itachi's eyes. Shisui's."

"…Yeah."

Suddenly, he was facing her and his anger was obvious as his upper lip curled. "Is that why you're continuing with your letters to Itachi? Are you using him so you can do your research? There's a reason why my father is so protective of those scrolls, Sakura. They're clan secrets. Not Konoha's. They're _ours_."

"Shut up, will you?" Sakura yelled at him. "I'm not using Itachi–san! I started writing to him because _you asked me to_. You're making it sound as though I'm sleeping with him or seducing him for the information! I'm only trying to help you, Sasuke. If you don't want my help, then tell me. I already know how much trouble I can get into for entering your clan's library and to help not only you, but every other Uchiha who is suffering with the same problem, I'm willing to risk it! Apparently, so is your brother. He knows just how serious this is."

"Sakura–"

A knock on his bedroom door cut him off and both fell deadly silent before Sasuke spoke up. "Come in."

The door opened slowly and once it was fully opened, Sakura tensed ever so slightly when Mikoto entered. Her features were blank, her stance strong. Shit. She had on her matriarch expression (which was how Sakura and Naruto knew not to get on her wrong side). The woman looked serious as she shut the door behind her and stepped fully into the room.

"I couldn't help but overhear your disagreement." she stated and Sakura was biting the inside of her cheek. Saying that it was a disagreement would be a bit of an understatement. Mikoto regarded her son for a few moments before she glanced over at Sakura, who tensed in response. "Was everything you just said true?"

She nodded. "Tsunade–sama believes that those who use their sharingan as much as Sasuke–kun does, or who have more advanced eyes like Itachi–san and Shisui–san do, will go blind. It's not a possibility, it's a fact. It is true that Sasuke–kun shouldn't be having a problem with his eyes from overusing them, but the fact that he is, means that we truly don't know anything about the sharingan." Sakura frowned. "Mikoto–san, how are we supposed to treat your clan if we don't know anything about you? Medics… All we want to do is help. It's our ninja way. We don't want to steal or use the information we learn against you and if you allow me do this research, I swear, I will run everything by you first! You can order somebody in your clan to watch over me. Just please let me help. Our village needs the Uchiha clan. _Naruto_ needs this clan. Sasuke–kun is the only one who can truly get through to him and suppress the Kyuubi without anybody getting hurt."

"Mother," Sasuke spoke up, much to their surprise, "she's right. I understand that these are clan secrets, but Sakura's a medic. I'll take full responsibility. Our clan needs Itachi and Shisui and you know that. Itachi is the clan heir. If anything happens to him, then I'll become clan heir. How can I do that if I'm blind?"

There was silence for a moment as Mikoto continued to watch them both. "I thought that Naruto–kun was in the process of learning how to control the Kyuubi's power?"

"He is, which means he needs my eyes now more than ever." Sasuke told her seriously, his head tilted in the direction his mother's voice was coming from. "The seal is getting weaker and weaker, mother, meaning that soon, the Kyuubi will break free. I won't allow my teammate to die, no matter how much of an idiot he is."

"Your father will never agree to this." she sighed, her blank expression never faltering for a second. "Sasuke, you will not be the one to take responsibility if this information gets out." There was a pause. "I will. And so will Itachi. As matriarch of the clan, it is my duty to do whatever I must to protect every Uchiha belonging to our clan. Not only is it my duty, but it is also Itachi's, since he is the heir to the clan. Sakura–san, Sasuke will accompany you and you are to tell him everything that you are looking into. You have my trust. Do not make me regret giving it to you."

And just like that, before she or Sasuke could say a word, Mikoto left.

Sakura released a shaky sigh of relief.

God that woman could be terrifying at times.

It was silent for a short while until Sasuke spoke up. "You already know that you have my trust, but I also know that you're eager to help out in whatever way you can." turning his head to the side, he looked in her direction with the help of her movements and breathing. "Don't look any further into my clan than you need to, Sakura."

Her eyes widened. "Are… Are you _threatening_ me, Sasuke?"

He shook his head. She didn't understand, did she? "If you betray my mother's trust, my father will have your head. I am simply warning you."

* * *

Sasuke's 'warning' kept replaying in her mind over and over again. At one point, she had even had a nightmare where Fugaku had been chasing her around the village (somehow, he had gotten a hold of Zabuza's executioner's blade), attempting to cut off her head. It was so bizarre. And then acting like everything was normal, Sakura would join the Uchiha family for breakfast. She would stay close to Sasuke's side, acting as his eyes whilst sitting across from none other than Uchiha Fugaku.

Was it just her, or did he look a little bloodthirsty?

Inwardly, Sakura shook her head. This was what happened when somebody didn't get the correct amount of sleep and continued to work their ass off. If she wasn't at the hospital, then she was in the Uchiha library and if she wasn't there, then she was acting as Sasuke's guide.

Most of his injuries were now completely healed, the only thing left to heal being his eyes. It was because of this that Sakura had suggested Sasuke got out of the house at least once a day for two hours. No training (unless he seriously felt up to it and wanted to risk attempting it without his sight), just simply strolling down the streets of their village. To stop any embarrassing or humiliating moments for him (he would kill her for allowing them to happen), she had to keep her arm looped through his, murmuring to him when they would be going up or down steps or when there was anything that could trip him, in front of them. Sakura could tell that Sasuke didn't enjoy having to rely on her so much, but she could also tell that he was grateful for her support. At least this way, he got to leave his bedroom without making a fool of himself because he tripped up or something of the sort.

"Did you sleep well, Sasuke, Sakura–san?" Mikoto asked as she placed their breakfasts in front of them.

After taking his hand and handing him his chopsticks, Sakura moved his hands until they were hovering over his food. She knew he could do the rest by himself. He grunted in reply to his mother. "I did, thank you, Mikoto–san." That was a lie, unless being chased around the village by her apparently psychotic, bloodthirsty husband could count as a good dream. "And yourself?"

Tsunade had already spoken with Fugaku, as had Mikoto. He wasn't happy about it, but once finding out that quite a few Uchiha, including himself, would eventually lose their sight, he reluctantly agreed. Like Sasuke the other night, his mind had also snapped straight to his eldest son. Itachi's eyes were much more powerful than even his own and as clan heir, he _needed_ those eyes, his sight.

"Oh, I slept well." she replied as she sat down beside her husband.

Breakfast was silent, like it always was. This was one of the things Sakura disliked about staying in the Uchiha home. It was always so stiff, so proper and traditional. Don't get her wrong, because Mikoto could be a gentle and warm person. Sakura wasn't sure what it was. It wasn't that Sasuke's parents didn't like her. They were all distant and aloof and nothing like her own parents, who would laugh and joke and argue over breakfast or any other meal. It made their home seem more alive.

Inwardly, Sakura made a note to herself to never allow her family meals to be like these. She wanted her future children to be comfortable around her and their father.

After thanking Mikoto for breakfast and helping her clean the dishes, Sakura looped her arm through Sasuke's and guided him out of the home. It made him a little uncomfortable leaving his home with bandages over his eyes, but reminding himself that the damage was most likely not permanent helped a lot.

"We're leaving the district."

"Yeah," she replied after a moment, "I thought it'd be best to visit Naruto today. We haven't visited him for a while."

"Sakura–"

"He won't make any jokes and if he does, I'll pummel him."

Sasuke smirked. "Hn."

When they didn't find Naruto in his apartment, they went to the next most likely place he would be: Ichiraku's. Only, he wasn't there either. Whilst Sasuke growled with annoyance (feeling _a lot_ of stares on him), Sakura rolled her eyes, dragging him towards the training fields. The paths were a little bumpy and uneven but due to having walked them so many times, Sasuke didn't even need his sight to know where to step and where not to step.

This time, they found Naruto. He was training by himself, but lately, that wasn't too surprising. Everybody else who could spar evenly with him were away on missions or at the border and for now, Sasuke was not capable of sparring to the best of his ability. Sakura knew she would never be able to evenly spar with Naruto, but that no longer bothered her. She was a medic and where would the others be without medics? They depended on her just as much as she depended on them.

Naruto's head snapped up as they entered the clearing, but the moment he saw Sasuke's eyes, he winced, making Sakura narrow her eyes warningly. Due to him currently being in sage mode (something he had learned whilst training with Jiraiya at Mount Myōboku), he could sense chakra, meaning he could also pick up on leftover chakra or, what he was currently sensing, chakra burns.

"Wow. You really messed your eyes up, didn't you?"

Against her arm, Sasuke's fist clenched, much like the other. "Shut up, idiot. It's your fault."

Oh no…

"My fault? I never asked you to get involved! I had everything under control."

Sakura sighed. She should have known they'd start arguing.

"Oh? And the Kyuubi was supposed to make an appearance, was he? You're lucky I managed to suppress his power – you had been losing control _again_!"

That was low, Sakura thought.

Naruto looked angered and his voice was a low growl when he spoke again. "You know why that happened!" he spat. "I was in the middle of training when we were given that mission. The seal was at its weakest."

"As was I." Sasuke retorted. "Because of your training, because of being _your watcher_, I have to be prepared for anything! I have to be there to suppress the Kyuubi's power and stop you from going on a rampage."

It wasn't uncommon for her patients to lash out, to blame others for the state they were in, but Sakura couldn't help but think this was uncalled for. They didn't come here to blame Naruto for the damage done to Sasuke's eyes. They came to see him because they hadn't in a couple of weeks. He'd been busy with his training, whilst she had been busy looking after Sasuke, who had been unable to leave his home until a week ago.

"Stop arguing." Sakura sighed. "And stop picking at each other. It's so tiring." pulling Sasuke forward, she made her way over to Naruto. "We came by to see you, not attack you." Sasuke's head tilted to the side and she knew he would have been giving her a blank look, had the bandages not been in the way. She pretended not to see it, much to Naruto's amusement. "You haven't been by, we missed you!"

This seemed to cheer the blond up as he grinned at her. "Baa–chan gave me a solo mission to Suna. Well, it was more like training. Gaara helped me out a bit, giving me advice on how to control the Kyuubi."

"Did it work?" Sasuke asked, but she could tell he was still annoyed with Naruto.

He grimaced. "Not entirely. I mean, the things he told me have helped me out and that, but even Gaara admitted that our beasts are too different."

"It's true." Sakura murmured as they sat down on the grass together. "I mean, Shukaku's… He still doesn't allow Gaara to sleep, does he?" Naruto shook his head, seeming to feel sorry for his friend. In a way, so did Sakura. It had to be torture being unable to sleep, but did it grow easier over time? Or did it constantly wear him down? "And from what I heard, your beast is much stronger than Gaara's." for a moment, she was in deep thought. "Hey, Shukaku is the Ichibi's name, right?"

"Yes." the Uchiha answered.

"So does that mean the Kyuubi has a name, too?"

"Everything has a name. It doesn't matter if it's a beast or an inanimate object."

Naruto nodded, seeming unsure. "I asked him, but he never tells me."

Glancing down at her hands, Sakura frowned. "…Maybe he's lonely?"

Silence.

"Sakura…"

"You don't feel sorry for the Kyuubi, do you?" Naruto demanded.

She shook her head quickly, glaring at him. "Not entirely, no. But yes, a part of me feels sorry for him. It's the medic in me, Naruto. I feel sorry for a lot of people and animals. It's just who I am."

"You're sentimental." Sasuke told her with a shake of his head, but then he seemed to ponder that thought. "It could be true, though. Perhaps the Kyuubi is lonely. After all, when was the last time he was truly free? Not that _that_ would help with his loneliness, but I can't imagine being locked away inside of somebody's body. To make it worse, it's _yours_. The Kyuubi has probably already lost his mind for having to share a body with you."

Instead of growing angry, Naruto burst into laughter. "He usually doesn't like you, but he's agreeing with you – wait! Oi, teme! Who the hell do you think you are? I didn't exactly have a choice, you know! This is supposed to be _my body_, and I can't even kick him out. And his way of 'paying rent' involves taking over my body and causing pain and destruction!"

Sometimes, Sakura was so tempted to check her best friend out for mental illnesses or instabilities, but right at the last moment, she would refrain from doing so. So what if his mood swings gave quite a few people whiplash? So what if others didn't get his personality? Naruto was happy. No, he didn't enjoy having the Kyuubi reside within him (at least not as far as she was aware of), but other than the obvious problems that were caused, he was happy. How many other jinchūriki could say the same? Gaara sure as hell couldn't before he changed. He had been downright miserable underneath all of that anger and hatred.

Even now, Shukaku still caused him problems and people kept their distance from him. Despite their differences in the past, even Sasuke acting somewhat friendly towards the redhead and by friendly, Sakura meant that he didn't glare at him or release any killing intent. And underneath his cold, distant exterior, Gaara was actually quite a decent guy. His humour was a little twisted and due to Shukaku having a ridiculously high sex drive, Gaara also had a perverted mind (only secretly, for he would never reveal such a weakness). Other than that though, he was a great friend and somebody who you could truly rely on.

Two years ago, she had been his first kiss.

Her team had been over in Suna for Christmas on a mission, so they spent the holidays with the Sand Siblings. It had been great fun! And then a snickering Naruto had appeared out of nowhere, holding a mistletoe between the two of them (her and Gaara, of course) and when he simply stood there, too stunned to do anything, Sakura had rolled her eyes and used her chakra to drag him to her by his collar, planting a sweet and chaste kiss on his lips. He had been wearing his sand armour, but not even a second after he realised Sakura had no killing intent, it slipped away from his lips unsurely, wanting to feel her soft lips moving against his own.

Sakura would not deny that things had heated up the moment they were alone, but they had both known that no real relationship would ever grow between them. It had been lust more than anything and even though people were always moaning and bitching about their ex, saying how they regretted ever being with them, it was never that way between them. Sure, Gaara was more protective of her now, but it was in a friendship way. There had definitely been heat between them (as he had made her feel things she had no idea she could feel), but they simply couldn't fall in love with one another. It was sad, but it had been best that they figured it out sooner rather than later.

People often thought that a girl like her _had_ to be a blushing virgin, she just _had_ to be all innocent and completely oblivious to the sexual world. For crying out loud, Hatake Kakashi had been her sensei! The guy walked around with his smut right in his face, so of course she had gotten her hands on it once or twice when he was unconscious and she was supposed to be watching him. It seemed he knew she had read it though, because when he woke up and reached for his book, he had smirked at the blush on her cheeks and muttered a, "_See? It's not so bad_."

Anyway! She had been thinking about the intimate, short relationship between her and Gaara. No he had not been her first kiss, but he had taken her virginity. Actually, she gave it to him. Willingly. There was no fear that Shukaku may suddenly pop out to surprise her (there never had been on the many times they had been together), as Gaara had him completely under control now. It made him happy to have her trust him so much and it was because of that trust that their friendship had blossomed into something she wouldn't give up for anything. It was different than her friendship with Naruto. Kind of similar to the one with Sasuke, but not enough to make it identical.

Nobody knew of that relationship. Of course it had been rumoured, since Gaara wasn't one to hang around with females unless she was his sister, but they never commented on it to anyone. It was _theirs_. Only six months later, however, and they decided to end things. Not because they were bored (the heat had still been there), but because it wasn't fair to continue seeing each other when neither of them were in love. They loved each other, but they weren't _in love_. Those were two completely different things. She loved her boys (even Kakashi), but she wasn't _in_ love with them.

Sakura wasn't sure if she had ever truly been in love before and that was what told her that no, she had not. It was kind of sad, really, but she accepted this. Not every shinobi got to experience things such as that. Some died just as their love was beginning. All she had ever felt before was a–

Wait.

Something suddenly slammed into her like a punch to the face.

'_The next day, as a thank you for taking care of their daughter as they had been extremely distressed and worried, your parents invited me over for dinner and told me I should bring Taka, too. I believe that is where your crush for him started._'

Even _Uchiha freaking Itachi_, the man who preferred to keep to himself and not get involved with pointless gossip, had known of her crush on Sasuke.

And since he was not one to bring up unnecessary things, he was most likely teasing her about it.

How embarrassing.

Sakura groaned and dropped her head into her hands.

* * *

**A/N – I'm not complaining or bitching (I have a really bad habit of coming across as doing those things), however I **_**do**_** have a question. In a lot of the non–mass ItaSaku stories I've been read, Inuzuka Hana (Kiba's older sister) is always in them. Even if she's not being used as Shisui's girlfriend, she's still somehow connected to Itachi. Did it ever say in the anime/manga that they were friends or teammates? I'm so confused! I can't remember it ever saying that and I can't find anything online about it. Do other writers simply use her because she's female and around the same age?**

**Another thing I've noticed. The whole 'teme' thing. Just so we're all on the same page, in my story, it's an impolite and extremely offensive way to say 'you'. It does not mean bastard. People get mixed up with that all the time, it seems.**

**So, how are you all liking the story so far? Anything in particular you want to see happen? I'm open for suggestions!**

**HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! :-)**


	5. They Have Needs

**Chapter 4 – They Have Needs**

_Crow,_

_I hope you know how lucky you are. If you hadn't been all the way over there and was in fact right next to me, I'd be punching __you __across the village and breaking my latest record! Bringing up that silly crush. Seriously? I was twelve years old! Yes, I'm aware it went on a little longer than that, but it couldn't have been that bad._

_Actually, ignore that last sentence. I know how bad it was._

_I never knew that you and Dog worked together! But I don't know why I'm so surprised – you'd be unstoppable! Then again, the balance wouldn't be very even, would it? For us, Whiskers (at first) had no talent at all. Taka was the strongest. I was the smartest. We balanced each other out. Adding Dog to your team, or you to his, wouldn't be very fair to others, would it?_

_Hm. I suppose Dog is important to our village and believe me, I already know of that fear. One time, I had a dream where Whiskers had taken over the village and he made every day "ramen day". I couldn't eat the stuff for about a month. Just the smell made me feel sick!_

_I can't say my parents are any different, although it's more my father than my mother._

_You have my word as a medic that I will not allow Taka to cause any further damage._

_There is good news, though! Your mother heard us arguing and demanded to know what happened and why we were having an argument in the first place. According to her, you, in your own way, gave me permission to help him by going to your library and just in case, your mother has also given me permission. I'm certain I can heal him now, Crow–san! Thank you so much._

_Taka rarely leaves my side at the moment and I can tell it's angering him as the days are passing. He hates having to rely on others, but I think he's glad it's me and not somebody else. I'm his personal medic, apparently. According to shishou, he requested me specifically. I can't even deny that I'm shocked by that._

_Are you being sarcastic, Crow–san?_

_If not, then you're going to want to hear this: a certain heiress with long, dark hair, is working up the courage to finally ask out a certain idiot with blond hair. Can you guess who I'm on about? If not, just think about the most unhealthy obsession you can think of and then his own fan._

_Wait. That sounds so harsh. It's not that I think of her as an annoying fan–girl or anything, because Lavender (as I have dubbed her) is sweet. But it's the truth, isn't it? Whilst every other girl was obsessing over Taka, she obsessed over him. Must be love, though, because back during the Academy, I was ready to throttle him every damn day. I'm used to his personality now, however. It comforts me, in a way. Is that strange?_

_Yes, your mother has already started forcing Taka to do things for himself, but she does let him off every now and then considering he can't prepare his own food or things such as that. I try to tell her to take a break, that I will take care of him because I'm the one who is his medic, after all, but I think she enjoys looking after him. It's in her eyes._

_Shannaro! That's my word. I don't even know why I started yelling that. It's like it simply slips out when I'm seriously angry. Don't even get me started on Taka and his "usuratonkachi". He called __me__ one the other day. Even with his bandages covering a good amount of it, I like to think it was a look of fear on his face when he realised just who the hell he called a moron. Like you said, it's a habit. He's used to adding it to pretty much all of his sentences now because of Whiskers. What about yourself? Do you have a word?_

_I believe it is easier to write than to speak. I mean, I don't think I'd be able to say half of these things to you in person. No, I'm not an incredibly shy girl, but I have my moments._

_Don't let Pig hear you say that! She'd be heartbroken if the, in her eyes, "biggest heartthrob and most eligible bachelor" in our village called her a pig. I don't mind though, so you can continue calling her that. In fact, I kind of like it!_

_That sounds so creepy now that I'm reading it back. I don't mean that I __enjoy__ you calling her a pig, like some sort of pervert but I–_

_Just ignore that part of my letter, okay? Crossing it out would simply make it look messy and already I'm intimidated by your fancy writing._

_I agree with me being the only one Taka would ask to write to you and read your letters. I don't need to go over the fact that our third teammate is Whiskers, right? Honestly, I thought your name would be different, something closer to your actual name, but I prefer Crow, now that I think about it. It suits you._

_That is embarrassing. Did I seriously do that? You must have been so frustrated with me! And I know for a fact that my parents can be overbearing and intense. I'd never really enjoyed fireworks, in all honesty. Well, as a child I didn't. I love them now. I like all the colours and shapes they can create. Even though this was clearly well over ten years ago, when you return, we should go to the festival together and I'll make it up to you! Damn. I must have ruined your night._

_Hang on a second. Training? During a festival? Does that mean you've never been to one?_

_I'm definitely taking you now!_

_We really can't risk any of you getting sick. Not only because we need you, but because you are all people too! Don't push yourselves too hard and please take care._

_I refuse to to comment on your statement about pushing aside my injuries for my team._

_Okay, what the hell? I'm nowhere near as bad as those three idiots! I'm a medic, so I can get away with it because I know I can heal myself. Those three can't! Oh they make me so angry sometimes. Ever wanted to just smash their heads together? I do. __All the time__._

_Yes, I've noticed that. He's no Whiskers, but Taka definitely has a lot of energy._

_Thanks! I enjoy your letters too. I know what you mean about it being a nice change, as lately, my schedule is rather routine and boring. Wake up, help Taka, hospital shift, return to help Taka some more, library, help Taka again, and then sleep. I'm not complaining, though. I like being useful. It's a nice feeling._

_Cherry._

* * *

Glancing up from his most recent letter, Itachi allowed a smirk to grace his lips.

He knew how strange it was for him to continue exchanging letters with a jonin kunoichi – one who was not connected to him in any way, of course. If the look the brunette kunoichi who arrived not long ago meant anything, it definitely was strange. Tenten, he believed her name to be.

Team Gai had arrived not too long ago. It hadn't even been a week. Having Rock Lee around was exhausting, but Itachi couldn't even deny that it was good to have a change up from his usual routine. He had even sparred with him at some point during the week, much to Lee's surprise – and delight. Was it weird that Itachi felt glad that shinobi, despite not being able to use ninjutsu, were not growing as weak as others made them seem? Even though he couldn't use ninjutsu or genjutsu and relied completely on taijutsu, Lee was a formidable opponent. He wouldn't make it to ANBU with just taijutsu, but he definitely deserved his jonin rank.

A certain Hyuuga was keeping his brown haired fiancée away from the rest of them, but that didn't surprise Itachi in the least. They had all been here for over seven months now, give or take a week or two, with only a rare break every couple of months. He was simply thankful that Neji didn't clump him or Shisui with the rest of the males on camp. They were like starving dogs! One kunoichi arrives and it was like they had never seen a woman before. Pitiful.

In a way, Itachi felt sorry for Tenten. She had to put up with all the heated gazes, the hungry eyes dragging up and down her body. He knew it made her uncomfortable having such attention because she began wearing much baggier clothing, drowning her figure completely. It made him shake his head with disgust. Women should not have to feel as though they needed to cover up because men couldn't control themselves. Had those men no shame? Most of them had lovers back at home, they were _married_ and had _children_!

But then again, they had been here for well over seven months and some of them were like Itachi – never returning to the village. His skills were needed way too much out here, as were Shisui's and Tenzo's as well as several others, so they _had_ to stay at base camp four unless they were running the perimeter. Itachi could not deny that even he had felt that certain need for human contact, for soft, feminine skin against his own. However, he did not show this. To show such a thing was weakness and that was not acceptable out at the border. And neither was making your comrade feel as though they were about to be eaten alive.

Neji did not appreciate any of those glances and just the narrowing of his pale eyes had the other men backing away. He was the prodigy of the Hyuuga clan and he was not against showing it. It seemed Rock Lee also picked up on the tension in the camp, because whenever Neji wasn't close to Tenten, he was. It was as though they were guarding her. Good. Itachi wasn't saying or presuming that some of the men here would force themselves on her, but being out here for so long with the only human contact being fighting or talking amongst themselves, could do strange things to a person. It picked at them. Humans were sociable creatures, after all.

Refolding the letter from Sakura, Itachi slipped it back into its envelope and placed it at the back of the pile, which was in the order of date. Those at the back were the most recent ones.

"You know," an amused voice spoke from the doorway of his cabin, "the guys are going to start thinking she's your lover."

He sat up straight, closing the lid over the box filled with letters. "I save every letter I receive, Shisui. You are aware of this."

"Of course I am." the older Uchiha chuckled as he stepped further into the room and sat down at the small table near the door. "But they're not."

His cabin was basic, but due to him being a captain, Itachi had certain privileges that the others did not. For example, his cabin was larger. It was just as basic as the rest of them, but he definitely had more space and did not need to share. Despite this, Shisui was currently staying in his cabin because he shared one with Neji. There was no telling how long his fiancée would be here for and despite them needing to be on guard, Itachi had decided to have a moment of sentimentality and allow them some privacy. Neji was grateful for this and it showed in the way he smiled at him. Not a smirk and not a simple nod, but a genuine smile. There was no need for that, really. The Hyuuga was reliable and Itachi knew that, despite having his woman with him, he would still be on high alert. If anything, his guards would be even higher just to protect Tenten.

It had to be difficult leaving your other half back in the village. Luckily for him, he didn't have one. Honestly? Itachi couldn't see himself settling down, no matter what his clan said, what his father said. His village needed him too much to do such a selfish thing. But was it really selfish? Most shinobi did not live to see their twenty–first birthday, so never had the chance to marry their other half and have many children together. No, Itachi supposed. It was not entirely selfish, but still, his village needed him too much.

"All they see is letter after letter, where the scent of them are so very obviously female, being sent to you."

Itachi's eyes narrowed. "Somebody has been _sniffing_ my mail?"

Shisui burst into laughter and it took him a moment to settle down. "No, not at all. When they're passing by though, the scent is obvious and not even you can deny that. Smells like… fresh apples mixed with something else, but I can never be too sure. It's always a little different every week. However, I know for a fact that little Sasuke–chan's teammate uses that apple scented shampoo, as whenever I walked by her back at home, she always carried that scent with her."

Many had no idea how observant Shisui truly was. He was a genius in his own right, but because of Itachi being the 'prodigy of the Uchiha clan', he often got overlooked. That wasn't fair, in Itachi's honest opinion. Yes, his father had trained him a lot whilst growing up, but so had Shisui. They had always been sparring partners, best friends. When he awakened the Mangekyō with unusual circumstances (no precious person had died), who had been there, guiding him and telling him where to find more information? Shisui.

His Mangekyō was a rarity. Somehow, during Orochimaru's invasion, the mere thought of his younger brother (his so very innocent younger brother who wanted nothing more than to surpass him and impress their father) going with the Sannin had caused him great distress and that distress only multiplied when Itachi discovered Orochimaru had marked Sasuke with a cursed seal. Oh it had made him angry and for the first time in a long time, Itachi _wanted_ to kill. That anger had morphed his sharingan, morphed him, into something entirely new. After defeating Orochimaru, Shisui had helped him with extracting the cursed seal from Sasuke's body. It had taken a while and until Itachi had been capable of doing so, Shisui had had to use his mind controlling technique once they discovered Sasuke planned on leaving (tricking him into believing he wanted a former student of Orochimaru's to train him), but they eventually did it.

There was a minute or two of silence and during that silence, Itachi sat down in the chair opposite of Shisui. "How's Sasuke, then?" Itachi sighed in response. "That bad?"

Nodding, he gave Shisui a serious look. "At first, Sakura–san believed that the damage could be permanent, but thankfully with her most recent research on the sharingan, she has discovered that his eyes will heal, but it will take some time."

"And Sasuke has to rely completely on her." Again, Itachi nodded. "Bet he's hating that. You're brother is much too proud."

"No. I don't think he minds too much." he argued softly. "I will admit that Sasuke's pride is large, but it is also fragile. To save himself humiliation, he will get used to having Sakura–san by his side and guiding him until he can see again."

Once again, there was a moment of silence until Shisui spoke up. "So he can't see at all?"

"No."

He lowered his head and took a deep breath, honestly feeling for the boy. Like them, Sasuke relied completely on his sharingan. "To make things worse, he is Naruto–kun's watcher." Shisui thought aloud. "Considering we are not in the village right now, there is no back up plan. Naruto–kun _needs_ Sasuke's eyes if the Kyuubi tries to break free of his seal."

Itachi shook his head. "I believe Naruto–kun will be smart enough not to continue his training until Sasuke will be able to help him. It is already risky having him learn to wield the Kyuubi's power whilst so close to the village and Naruto–kun knows this. No doubt another member of our clan will currently be watching over him."

"They won't be any good in taming the Kyuubi. You need eyes like ours, genes like Tenzo-san's or a bond like theirs. You know this as well as I do."

"Perhaps. But having some eyes are better than having none."

"You have a point there." Shisui agreed with a shrug. "There is no use in worrying, though. We all know that Jiraiya–sama, despite what the boy thinks, watches him from afar. He will not allow anything to happen to Naruto–kun, or the village. Perhaps they'll even go through with their previous plan of contacting the Raikage and using that remote island where the Hachibi's jinchūriki learned to control his beast."

That did sound possible, but knowing Tsunade, she would not risk sending him away as of yet. She would wait for more information first, would wait to hear back from them and–

"She plans on sending him here."

Shisui frowned in confusion. "What makes you think that?"

"Think about it." he told the older Uchiha. "Sasuke's eyes are deteriorating from overusing them, despite being only the regular sharingan. Our eyes are much more advanced than his. At this moment in time, Sakura–san is researching the sharingan in our clan's library," Itachi ignored Shisui's stunned expression, "and is aware of the fact that our eyes are used much more than Sasuke's, putting us at a higher risk of losing our sight. Tsunade–sama also knows this. I have no doubt that once Sakura–san has finished gathering her research and repaired what she can of Sasuke's eyes, team seven will be sent here, so that she can examine ours."

"Which is why Lee–san and Tenten–san have been sent to us." Shisui stated flatly. "They came to examine our eyes from a distance. It would explain why Rock Lee was so adamant about our spar. He kept saying how my sharingan was much too powerful for him to keep up with, making the spar unfair. I thought at the time that it was strange, since he's almost exactly like Gai–san, and would relish the challenge of a stronger opponent."

Closing his eyes, Itachi sat back in his chair, forcing himself to relax as he sighed. They should not be so surprised. "Our village needs us." Shisui wasn't sure if Itachi was speaking to himself, or to him, but listened anyway. "To aid us in protecting them, they will take care of us in any way possible. Tsunade–sama will no doubt have Sakura–san check over Neji–san's eyes also, when she arrives."

He nodded. "And despite his not being here, somehow, she'll have Kakashi–san dragged over to our camp to also examine his eye."

A smirk pulled at Itachi's lips. "I don't doubt that she will."

In all honesty, Itachi found himself quite looking forward to seeing his younger brother again. That was, of course, if his eyes were healed by the time team seven were sent out. Itachi hoped so. It would be nice to see his brother again. Perhaps a sparring session was in order, as it had been over seven months and he wanted to see how much Sasuke had grown in skill.

They heard rumours from those passing through quite often. Apparently, his younger brother's team was in high demand and almost as infamous as Itachi and Shisui's tag team. It made him feel proud of Sasuke, yet proud of the other two, as well. He was aware of how much struggle Naruto had gone through to earn the respect he has today and he wasn't the only one who had struggled. Sakura had also had her fair share of torment, from what he had heard. She was always being underestimated, being pushed to the sidelines. However, Sakura forced herself to grow stronger and was now one of the strongest kunoichi in their village. With more experience and more training, Itachi knew that she would no doubt surpass Tsunade and take that title as _the_ most powerful kunoichi.

"She wishes to punch me across the village." Itachi suddenly told Shisui, earning him a raised eyebrow. Languidly, the younger Uchiha opened his eyes and regarded the man opposite for a moment, before another smirk graced his lips. "Sakura–san. In her most recent letter, she opened it up with, '_I hope you know how lucky you are. If you hadn't been all the way over there and was in fact right next to me, I'd be punching _you _across the village and breaking my latest record'."_

Like earlier, Shisui burst into laughter. "That would be hilarious to see. What did you say to her?"

His smirk widened for a moment before it simmered down. "I may have brought up her crush on Sasuke."

"You teased her."

At his Shisui's deadpan, Itachi nodded, once again making him laugh.

"At least she's seeing, or reading, that you're just as human as the rest of us." he smirked teasingly. "In your next letter, you should bring up her relationship with none other than the Kazekage."

No matter how hard he tried to hide his shock, it still showed.

The Kazekage? And Sakura?

"She likes powerful men." Shisui told him with a knowing look. "Think she'll like me?"

"Do not turn into those panting, slobbering dogs out there, Shisui." there was a seriousness in Itachi's voice as he spoke, a warning. "It is bad enough that they cannot control themselves. I do not need you, of all people, to suddenly become hormone–crazed. If she is involved with the Kazekage, you cannot touch her."

Much to his surprise, Shisui was once again smirking. "Protective, aren't you? Anyway, according to the rumours, they broke up a while back. I believe it was Ino–san who started all of those rumours and we know that, as Sakura–san's best friend, she is our most reliable source." Itachi deadpanned. Were they really _gossiping_? Were they honestly that bored? "Personally, I believe it was more of an experience–relationship rather than a love–relationship. I've seen them together a couple of times around the village when the Kazekage came by to visit, you know? It's obvious they weren't in love."

Each to their own, Itachi supposed. At one point in their lives, everybody experimented. He was merely surprised by Sakura's choice. Sabaku no Gaara? That was something he had definitely never expected. He wasn't one to listen to gossip, so never took any notice in the latest rumours. It wasn't all too surprising that Sakura was no virgin – it was in the way she held herself. No, Itachi wasn't calling her a whore, but even he had noticed her sensuality. The way her hips swayed as she walked, how just a simple running a hand through her hair seemed like the most–

What was happening to his thoughts?

Itachi had to refrain from rubbing his eyes. He was not a virgin and just like everybody else, he had needs and urges. However, Itachi never gave into those urges. His body was weapon, whether that was through battle or seduction. When he was ready he would settle down and give his wife his body, but until then, he did not sleep around like so many other men. He did what he had to for the sake of a mission or for his village. That was all.

"If she comes here, it's going to be far worse for her than it is for Tenten–san," Shisui stated seriously, his eyes narrowing a fraction, "you _are_ aware of that, right?"

Indeed he was. Like he had thought only moments before, Sakura was sensual and graceful in her movements, whereas Tenten was more of a tomboy. Also unlike Tenten, Sakura did not have a lover (as far as he was aware of) and she wore much more revealing clothing. Itachi was not saying that she had to cover up, because women should be able to wear what they like without having to worry about men being unable to control themselves, but they had to accept the truth here. Right now, the men were barely controlling themselves over _Tenten_ and whilst Itachi did not mean it in an offensive way, she was not much to look at. Yes, she had nice eyes, but she kept her figure drowned in clothing like a wife would. Considering she was going to marry Hyuuga Neji, however, that wasn't surprising.

Sakura was going to have a much more difficult time keeping the other men off of her. They weren't rapists, but they were men who had been starved of the luxury of having a woman's body against their own, moving with theirs. "Her teammates would not allow anything to happen. You have seen and heard of how protective team seven are of one another."

"I suppose." he agreed. "But we should stick close to her just in case. Many of the men here could overpower her if she comes to us weakened. Since Sakura–san will be healing our injuries and examining our eyes, she _will_ be weakened, which means no monstrous strength, which also means no way to protect herself."

"Once Sasuke or Naruto–kun notice the looks she will receive, they will stay by her side and protect her. Neji–san, Lee–san, Tenzo-senpai and Sai-san will also be here and they will not allow anything to happen to her. If not, I am sure that I can trust you in doing the job, can I not?"

The older Uchiha nodded once and a devilish smirk lifted his lips. "I'm sure she'd rather have _you_ 'protecting' her, though."

Itachi rolled his eyes and sighed. "You are thinking with the wrong head, Shisui."

"You can't say that you haven't thought about her like that." he shrugged, not at all shocked by Itachi's rather blunt words. He knew things about Itachi that would shock anyone else and was not surprised to hear such vulgar words. No, the younger Uchiha was most definitely not the type to curse or to speak about sex and whatnot, but he did have his moments. "And if you haven't already, you will. That's just a simple fact. You can try and pretend like you don't feel anything, but I know you do." Just as Itachi was about to argue, Shisui silenced him. "I'm not saying you have feelings for Sakura–san, Itachi, I'm simply saying that like us, you are a man. She's a woman. I don't have to give you 'the talk', do I?"

He wasn't going to lie. Itachi had found quite a few sentences in Sakura's letters that could hold a double meaning, but he refused to think about such things. It was most likely that she hadn't meant it in such a way and hadn't even noticed how it could sound. One of her sentences out of her most recent letter came to mind '_I'm definitely taking you'_ and Itachi couldn't deny that his mind went straight to a different meaning, gave him an image he had no right to be seeing or imagining.

That didn't get rid of those thoughts, though. Knowing that he shouldn't be thinking of somebody he barely even knew in such a way, knowing that it wasn't right, did not keep those thoughts out of his mind. It was easy to push them away during the day whilst he was busy with tasks or giving orders, but late at night, when he collapsed in bed and had nothing left to think about, her letters were where his mind went to and then thinking of her letters made him think of her.

More than anything, Itachi hoped that he wouldn't suddenly become a hormone crazed man, who thought of nothing other than sex. Whilst those certain thoughts of Sakura were, in their own way, pleasant, it was disrespectful of him to think of her like that. A kiss was one thing, but picturing himself inside her, taking her?

Itachi quickly shoved those thoughts out of his mind before they could go any further, like he always did.

No. That was not appropriate. He didn't know her and she was his brother's friend. How many times had he spoken to her? Not many. It was ridiculous!

"You have." Shisui suddenly exclaimed, but quickly lowered his voice and smirked, leaning forward eagerly. "I _knew_ it. So tell me–"

"No."

It seemed Shisui was also feeling that certain craving, although he definitely hid it better than the men outside.

Great.

For some reason, Itachi had a feeling that it would end up as him being the one keeping the other males away from Sakura if her own teammates were unable to do so. In his own subtle way, Shisui would no doubt hit on her, so he would keep an eye on him. At the same time, he would have to stop himself, too. Itachi knew he would be able to do so, as he was no sex–obsessed adolescent, but it seemed his hormones were finally catching up to him at a completely inappropriate time.

* * *

**A/N – I finally found a course at college that I want to do! Hopefully, next week when I go to enrol, they'll accept me into the course. It's no secret that my results aren't too great, but apparently a lot of others (who have more recently taking their exams) are receiving bad results too. If I get into this course, however, I may not be able to update as much as I do. I'll find out next week, anyways!**

**I've never been excited for school or college before. Um...**

**HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! :-)**


	6. One Time

**Chapter 5 – One Time**

_Cherry,_

_It would be amusing to see you try and "punch me across the village". Do not believe that it will be easy for you like when you do that to Whiskers._

_There must always be balance within the team, but considering that it was my first team and I was fairly young, I needed somebody to guide me through the ranks. Dog happened to be that person._

_That does sound like a horrifying dream. I don't particularly care for ramen, so let us hope that Whiskers does not make "every day, ramen day"._

_I'm glad you caught on. Taka should know better than to raise his voice at home – our mother is almost always there and she can hear everything. Be lucky it was not my father who heard you. How is the research coming along?_

_He has always been independent and has always wished to do everything for himself. The only time he ever appreciated help, was when I would offered to train him. Before your team, he wasn't a very good team player. I suppose I am partly to blame for that, as he seems to take after me. Why are you shocked about him asking for you specifically? You are his teammate and somebody he trusts. He knows that he can rely on you._

_Surprisingly, I was being sarcastic._

_I know who you are on about. It will be good if he finally takes notice in her – her crush is almost as obvious as yours had been._

_No, it is not strange that you wished to kill Whiskers during your Academy days. Taka would return home wishing to do the same, almost every day._

_My mother has always enjoyed taking care of us, but mostly Taka as he is a mother's boy. She enjoys coddling him, whereas I have never really allowed that to happen._

_Now that I think about it, I have heard of that expression before. Not through other people, but just as I was walking through our village. You have a loud voice, Cherry–san. Taka should be more careful what he says around his medic. I do not have a word._

_Why would you not be able to say all of these things in person?_

_So her crush on Taka has ended and now she has a crush on me? Great. How do any of you know that I am a bachelor? I could have a lover back in the village, for all you know._

_I did not think that you meant it in that way, but it is amusing that you thought I would._

_You should not be intimidated by my handwriting, Cherry–san. You're a doctor._

_If you are referring to the other animal that would suit me best, then it would be much too obvious who I am. And not very original._

_Yes, you did do that. I was not frustrated with you, though. Taka could also be clingy when he was younger and I had grown used to it. So instead of making you leave, I allowed you to sit by my side and pick flowers until you fell asleep. Your parents love you, but yes, they were a little overwhelming. I can assure you that you did not ruin my night. I would have been at the festival, but I had a mission two days later and had to prepare._

_I will make sure my team rests, Cherry–san. In return I would like for you to also take care of yourself. You are going to wear yourself down at this rate and as a medic, you need to rest._

_At one point, we have all pushed aside our own injuries for our team. It is nothing to be upset or angry about._

_I suppose being of use is a nice feeling._

_Forgive me, Cherry–san, that I could not respond fully to your letter. My team is about to set out and this was the only chance I could get to reply._

_Crow_

* * *

"Is he better?"

Sakura sighed, giving her shishou a worried look. "I haven't had the time to check today. My shift at the hospital ended this morning as somebody asked me to switch with them. So far, though, he's been healing nicely. We don't need to use such heavy bandages now, as his eyes are less sensitive, but we have been keeping them covered just in case."

Nodding, Tsunade sat back in her seat, glancing down at the scroll before her. "I suppose it would be best. If he is anything like his brother, then I know for a fact he will push himself. Speaking of which," she lifted the envelope on the desk up and tossed it to her, "your letter is here. The others have already been to collect theirs, but considering you had a shift, I'm not surprised you weren't here."

She never read the letters being sent to those in the village. There was no need to. Those back at the base camps were either all members of ANBU, or had been taught most of the ways of ANBU, so knew what was okay to say and what wasn't. Besides, what was the point in reading letters that had already arrived?

Holding the envelope in her hands, Sakura's eyes slid to it. She wanted nothing more than to read it _now_. In her last letter, she hadn't been lying when she told Itachi she enjoyed reading his letters. It felt like she was getting to know him, despite only exchanging several of them. So far, Sakura believed that he wasn't as coldhearted as people believed him to be. If he was, he wouldn't have given her permission to go to his clan's library. He wanted her to help Sasuke. Also, he could be pretty sarcastic when he wanted to be. He teased her often, too.

"Sakura."

"Sorry." she blushed, looking back to her shishou, who had a knowing smirk on her face.

"It's fine. Just don't let those letters distract you too much." Sakura nodded quickly. "Team seven will be sent out tomorrow to base camp four. I will give you until the end of today to heal Sasuke's eyes. If that doesn't happen, he will stay here where I will take over his healing."

Sakura couldn't help but grimace. "Tsunade–sama, Sasuke–kun won't let you–"

"Near him. I know. But if he wants his sight back, he will. I've been reading over your research, Sakura, and you're doing a good job so far. It is because of your persistence that we're learning a lot more about the sharingan and since discovering what you have learned, Shizune and I have been able to heal over twenty Uchiha clan members who were suffering from chakra burns to their eyes. As Sasuke's eyes are more severely burned, I know that it will take a while to heal them. The damage won't be permanent though, unless he continuously strains his eyes this way. Make sure he doesn't. Naruto depends on him, as does our village."

Again, Sakura nodded. Was it strange that she didn't like speaking of Sasuke that way? Like he was merely a tool to their village? He was, really. They were all tools. All shinobi were tools for their village.

For a moment there was silence as Tsunade regarded Sakura, her honey–coloured eyes narrowing every now and then as she looked up and down Sakura's body, which was clad in her usual outfit (skirt and a zip up shirt), having changed from her medic uniform back at the hospital. The younger kunoichi was used to this by now. It meant her shishou were analysing her, assessing her. In response Sakura stood up straighter, causing the blonde to hum once and nod to herself.

"I received a letter from Tenten." Tsunade informed her, finally looking away as she grabbed said letter. "Before she and Lee were sent out, I gave them specific orders. In her report, not only did she get back to me on those things, but she also informed me on something else, something about _you_."

Her? Was Tenten still suspicious about her and Itachi's letters? "Me?"

There was a sigh. "Yes. It's not uncommon that, on base camps filled with only men, they are–"

"_Oh_." Sakura quickly cut her off, her eyes widening. "So they–"

"Yes. They're all horny. Incredibly so, if Tenten is not over–exaggerating. Honestly I can't see her doing such a thing, as her teammates are Gai and Lee."

Not for the first time, Sakura grimaced. Going to a base camp where all the men were craving sex, a woman's body, was not an appealing thought. Poor Tenten. She couldn't even imagine what the woman had to put up with. Actually, no. Sakura would know and she was going to find out in a couple of days. If she was going to keep those men away from her, she needed her teammates there. It wasn't that she couldn't look after herself, because Sakura believed she was more than capable of doing so. It was because this was a _male_ base camp. Not a female, not both sexes, but one. She needed her team there to watch her back. Sakura knew she could trust both Naruto and Sasuke not to take advantage of her if they caught sight of her body and it was the same to them, too.

"How bad?"

"Enough that their captains had to step in to make them back off. The girl can't get any peace unless she is around her teammates, Sai, Tenzo or the Uchiha pair. They're the only ones unaffected by this, which isn't all that surprising."

It really wasn't. They were all trained to hide their emotions, to ignore those urges, so that they could put their missions first, their training first. "I guess this means I'll be digging out my official uniform, then."

The blonde's upper lip curled for a moment as she clenched her fists, clearly pissed off. "You shouldn't have to, but yes. Tenten informed me that they can focus more on their orders if they are not distracted by a woman's body. This is ridiculous! They're supposed to be shinobi."

Slipping the letter into her pouch, Sakura pulled a face. "It's not really, if you think about it, shishou. They're men, right? They have wives here, wives who have been around every day, taking care of those needs. Most of them probably haven't ever gone this long without sex since losing their virginities."

"I suppose. Perhaps a rotation is in order. Tomorrow I will call a meeting with the elders about allowing the men who are out there, come home for a couple of weeks. They won't be able to stay too long, as they're needed out there, but hopefully by doing this, they can clear their heads. I agree. I've kept them out there for too damn long."

She was feeling guilty. Sakura could see the guilt clearly on Tsunade's face. There was only a select few who got to see Tsunade with her guard down and as her apprentice, Sakura was one of those. "Tsunade–sama, you shouldn't blame yourself." she said softly. "Some of those men choose not to come back here, putting the village before their needs. We all do it and I know you have too."

"That's different. I'm Hokage."

"Yes, but you're still a person, just like they are. They've been able to ignore those urges so far because no women have been on the camps. They were probably able to focus better before Tenten went there. How long has it been since they felt a woman's body? Or since they experienced _that_ sort of pleasure? It's only natural that they want it."

It was true. As much as she loved him, there had been men after Dan. Not lovers or relationships, but one night stands. They had always been whilst she was drunk, though, and Tsunade had always felt as though she was betraying him in some way. But not once had she ever forgotten how it felt when _he_ caressed her, when he was the one bringing her pleasure. She shut her eyes, willing the sting in them to go away. No matter what, she would never forget him. He was and always will be, the love of her life. No man could compare to him and the sex was always meaningless, a way to release her stress. God she missed Dan. Not only physically, but emotionally, too. He understood her. How many others could she say the same about? Dan had understood her so clearly, had shown her love in such an intense way, that Tsunade knew she would never experience that sort of love again. And it killed her inside. _It killed her_.

Sakura knew that look on Tsunade's face. She knew what her shishou was thinking about. With a gentle smile, Sakura told her, "I'll go and check on Sasuke–kun, Tsunade–sama, and get back to you as soon as I can."

Instead of voicing her approval, Tsunade nodded once and reached for the sake bottle in the drawer of her desk.

* * *

How was she going to say this to him? Sakura chewed her bottom lip, watching out of the corner of her eye as Sasuke sat at the table, peacefully eating the tomatoes she had just cut up for him. His parents were currently away at a clan meeting, so he had been left alone for at least four hours and there was no telling how long a meeting would be. At the moment, she was sitting across from him, holding her cup of tea between both her hands, enjoying the warmth it brought to her.

"Just spit it out, Sakura."

Damn it. He knew her too well.

"Should I even ask how you know?"

"You're tense and haven't taken a sip of your tea for a while. I can hear much more clearly now that I can't rely on my sight." Sasuke told her, tilting his head in her direction and pausing in his eating. "You heard back from Tsunade."

What, was he a psychic now too?

"Don't pull that face."

_What the hell_? How did he know that?

"I'm not pulling a face, Sasuke–kun."

The corner of his mouth twitched, telling her that he was amused. "So you're not currently puffing your cheeks out and scrunching your nose up?"

"…No."

"Liar."

"Okay, maybe I was, but you can't blame me! It's freaky that you know me so well. I mean, you can't even see me, yet you know when I'm pulling a face at you. How the hell is that even possible?" just as he opened his mouth, Sakura cut him off with a roll of her eyes. "I don't even want to know."

He nodded, going silent for a few minutes. "What did she say?"

Words weren't needed for him to pick up on her nervousness, on her uncertainty. The pause before speaking spoke volumes. "Tomorrow. Team seven is being sent to base camp four tomorrow." Sasuke did not reply. "Tonight I want to work on your eyes for as long as I can without causing further damage."

"You'll deplete your chakra." he argued quietly. "It takes too long for you to replenish it fully – you're going to need your chakra whilst travelling."

Sakura shook her head, but remembered a moment later that he couldn't see her. It was true that it took her much longer to replenish her chakra as she continuously drained hers in the hospital and it wasn't all too large to begin unless she counted the chakra stored up in her forehead. She was from a civilian family, after all. Whilst those in a shinobi clan were brought up on a special diet, training before they could even walk properly, Sakura had been brought up as a civilian child. There was no telling if it would have been different for her had her parents been shinobi, but that didn't matter to her. She was simply grateful for her perfect chakra control.

"If I have both you and Naruto there, it won't matter too much." she retorted just as quietly. "Sasuke–kun, if I do this, I will have about half of my chakra back by tomorrow–"

"Which will then be wasted travelling."

"Not entirely it won't be."

"But enough to make you weak and vulnerable. What if we can't get to you, Sakura? What if we get separated and neither Naruto nor I can protect you? This is why you pushed yourself so hard and asked Tsunade if she would take you on as her apprentice. Not to be reckless with your chakra, but to be able to protect yourself and those you care about. I know you too well for you to even attempt at denying that." there was a pause where Sasuke took a deep breath before continuing. "I want my sight back. I do. But what if your efforts go to waste and then because of my selfishness, you get killed?"

Nobody knew how protective Sasuke really was. Only their team knew. When Naruto had left to train with Jiraiya, it had been just them. Kakashi had been busy with back–to–back missions and only sometimes could they join him. Well, Sasuke was pretty much always allowed to join him as long as he could handle it and often trained with him, whilst Sakura trained with Tsunade mostly. Other than that, they sparred together. Sasuke pushed her beyond her limits in order for her to grow stronger and in return, she used her new strength against him, forcing him to become faster to avoid the blows that would kill him. If she ever hit him, she healed him as much as possible immediately.

Over the years, they had gone on many missions together and always had each other's backs. And Naruto realised when he returned just how much he had missed out on. She and Sasuke were already chunin, whilst he was still genin. When Naruto finally reached chunin rank, they were jonin. Now, Naruto was also a jonin. It had taken him a while, much longer than he would ever admit, but he finally made it.

They were like siblings, now. They were each other's family. If one of them was hurting, they were all hurting. That was just how it worked with them.

"I'm a medic, remember? I have my seal."

"Which shortens your lifespan if you use the _Sōzō Saisei_ jutsu. You also haven't been given permission to use that jutsu, yet. Tsunade told you it's for emergencies only. Not something to be used recklessly."

It was no use arguing with Sasuke. He either always had a comeback, or always had a list of 'pros' and 'cons' in his head. "I want you to come with us, Sasuke–kun. Even if I have to knock you out, I'm checking up on your eyes and healing them as much as I can."

She could tell he wanted nothing more than for her to heal them and wanted nothing more than to join her and Naruto. "…Fine."

"Finish your tomatoes. I'll heal your eyes, then."

"No. You need to sleep first. You were at the hospital all night and morning."

Always so stubborn. "Fine." she repeated his earlier agreement. "I'll take a nap. Wake me up in three hours, otherwise I won't be able to sleep tonight. I have no shifts now until we get back from base camp four."

Until _we_ get back. Sasuke couldn't help but give her a small smile. "Fine." he told her once again. "Three hours."

* * *

He had let her sleep for five hours. Whether it was done accidentally or purposely, Sakura would never know as she didn't want to bring it up to him. They both knew she needed to sleep for longer, but also, he couldn't exactly glance at a clock to check the time, could he? Whatever his reasons, she was grateful because whilst she would have preferred to sleep a little longer (despite her earlier words), she was rested enough now to get on with healing his eyes.

Sometimes, Sakura wished that things could be different between them. People often mistook them as a couple because of how close she and Sasuke were. Right now, to wake her up with, he brought her a cup of tea and a bowl of mixed up, cut up fruit. She was sure Mikoto had been the one to prepare them and he was simply bringing them in, but that didn't matter. It was probably to pay her back for all the times she had done the exact same thing for him.

It hurt when people asked how long they had been a couple for. Not because she wanted them to be, but because of how they looked from another's point of view. An old woman from the Uchiha clan (Sakura had later on learned she was Sasuke's aunt) had once told them they would have beautiful children together. Sasuke had blushed – they both had, actually.

It seemed everyone had it in their heads that because of her old crush on him and because of how strong their bond was now, that they were in love. Sakura was certain she had mentioned it before, but there were two different kinds of love. There was being _in love_ and then there was loving somebody. She loved Sasuke, but she wasn't in love with him. And even though he would never vocally admit to it, she knew he loved her too.

Don't get her wrong, because before the kiss that told them both there were no romantic feelings there, that there was no spark, Sakura had wished more than anything that she and Sasuke would be together, that they would have lots and lots of little Uchiha babies together. But that was just the point. It was a childish dream belonging to a teenage girl. Back then, Sakura knew that she would have done anything, _anything_, to make Sasuke notice her and that just wasn't healthy. And it wasn't fair either.

She liked how they were now. She liked that she could be completely comfortable around him without having to worry about her appearance, without having to look her best so that she could impress him. Of course Sakura still took care of her appearance (she was still a girl, a woman, after all), but not to the point of ignoring her training, her duties. And he opened up to her now! Sasuke didn't have to worry about Sakura squealing with happiness if he gave her a simple smile. He didn't have to worry about her taking something the wrong way and getting the wrong idea in her head.

These kinds of thoughts went through her head several times every month, because no matter how many times they told the villagers, denied being romantically involved with each other, they never believed them. They would smirk, giving them a knowing look. It _made_ those thoughts enter Sakura's mind and she knew they went through Sasuke's too. Hell, she once thought about simply being with him just to make everyone shut up, but no. Their bond was too important to her to destroy it. She needed Sasuke. He was her safety. It was because of him that she got to where she was today.

"Thanks." Sakura told Sasuke, accepting the cup of tea and shuffling over so that he could sit by her side on the bed.

This was what she meant by being comfortable with each other. If this was somebody else, another man who she wasn't involved with, Sakura would never be able to let them lay in bed with her. No, Sasuke was not laying down and was in fact now leaning against the headboard of her bed, but that was beside the point. The only other men who got to see her this way, or had once got to see her this way, were the other members of team seven and Gaara. They were the only men she was one hundred percent comfortable around. They had all seen her at her best, but also her worst, and accepted her despite those flaws.

Bowl of fruit still in hand, Sasuke somehow managed to figure out where her lap was after she had sat up and placed the bowl down on it. He nodded once in response to her thanks.

"So when do you want to get started?" she asked after a sip of her tea and a bite into a strawberry. It wasn't a nice combination, but that only vaguely registered in her mind.

"You just woke up." Sakura knew that, had his bandages not been in place, Sasuke would be rolling his eyes.

Nodding to herself, she glanced up at his features. "Fruit?" he shook his head. "Okay. Try taking the bandages off and see how your eyes feel."

As he started to unravel the bandages from around his head, Sakura placed her bowl and cup down on the bedside table and shifted in her position so that she was facing him. After a moment, Sasuke paused, feeling the bed move, and did the same, realising she would want to see his eyes and how they reacted to the light.

He would deny it straight away if anybody asked him about it, but Sasuke found himself feeling nervous and perhaps a little scared. What if revealing his eyes to the light made them worse? What if he took the bandages off and he couldn't see at all?

Sasuke didn't have the chance to continue with his thoughts as he came to the last of the bandage.

"They certainly don't look as bad as they did before." Sakura mumbled to him, gently taking a hold of his face and tilting his head downwards, watching his pupils dilating before going back to their usual size. "Can you see?"

Seeming to be in a state of shock, Sasuke nodded. "Parts of my vision is blurred, but I can see. And my eyes don't hurt, either."

Sakura smiled brightly. "Great! Sometimes, you've just got to let nature take its course. We can't heal everything and sometimes, injuries are better off healing by themselves."

Again, Sasuke only nodded, blinking a couple of times. "Sakura–"

"Don't." she already knew what he was going to ask. "Don't even dare to try and activate your sharingan, Sasuke–kun. I haven't examined your eyes yet and just because they're working almost perfectly now, it doesn't mean your sharingan won't be too much for them." pausing for a moment, Sakura watched as his eyes focused on hers, but also noticed how they squinted for a moment. He was obviously trying to get rid of the blurred parts of his vision. "I've got some good news, though." He raised an eyebrow, silently telling her to continue. "Tsunade–sama and Shizune–san have been able to completely heal over twenty of your clansmen's eyes because of my research. Sure, your eyes are much more powerful than theirs, but I'd like to think this is a good sign. It may take a little longer and it may be a little more difficult for us, but I'm certain I can heal you."

It didn't surprise her when Sasuke smiled at her. When it was just them, or even with the rest of their team, he did it a lot more often than people believed. "Thank you, Sakura."

Giving him a teasing smile, she reached behind her for her bowl of fruit and gave him two light, playful slaps on the cheek once she was turned back around and facing him. "Don't be thanking me yet, Sasuke–kun! I think, for this, I may have to ask a couple of favours from you."

Like she had been hoping, Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "You're my medic."

"And you're my teammate!" she retorted, her teasing smile widening. However, a moment later, she grew serious and seeing this, _actually seeing this_, Sasuke did, too. "This isn't going to be any stupid favour like a foot massage or something like that. This is pretty serious." eyebrows knitting together, he nodded once. Like hell he'd ever touch hers, or anybody else's, feet! "As long as you're comfortable with it, I'm going to take a risk by telling Tsunade–sama tonight that your eyes are healed. To make it seem more believable, I'll tell her that in order to stop them from becoming any more damaged, I'll need to keep a closer eye on you and you won't be able to use your sharingan for extended amounts of time – which is true, anyway."

He rolled his eyes. "Get on with it."

The smile she suddenly gave him was nervous and Sasuke could tell that she was uncomfortable as her eyes suddenly dropped to the bowl of fruit, her hands fidgeting with it. "Tenten–san and Lee–san were sent to base camp four not too long ago. I'd say about just under two weeks, now. Well, a week and a half. Anyway, the men there… They're all giving Tenten–san trouble. Nothing too serious–"

"They're sexually harassing her."

His features were scrunching up with disgust. "Not every man. Your brother and Shisui–san are keeping them away from her, as well as Lee–san and Neji–san, but it's enough to make her uncomfortable, so much so that she actually warned Tsunade–sama."

This time, his face deadpanned. "Warned her about sending _you_ there." Sakura nodded. "And you want me to keep them away from you? What makes you think I'll be able to do that without my sharingan?"

Sakura frowned. "You're still intimidating, Sasuke–kun. Maybe back when we were twelve you wouldn't have been much to scare them off, but… well, you've buffed out now." she bit back a smirk when the back of his neck and the tops of his ears turned pink. "They don't know that you might not be able to use your sharingan. Knowing Naruto, he'll be demanding Neji–san to a rematch and then he'd want to take on the rest of the camp. Yes, he's defensive and protective of me, but he's still an idiot. I mean, come on! He still hasn't noticed that Hinata's in love with him!"

"And has been since the academy." once again, Sasuke was rolling his eyes. It felt so much better being able to do so and have people see him doing it. Although he would secretly miss being able to hide such an expression from his father. "What do you need me to do?"

A grateful smile pulled at her lips. "I'm not saying you have to stay by my side every minute of every day, because I can handle most of them by myself. I just mean that if I'm tired out from healing people or examining the others' eyes, then I'm going to need somebody there."

He knew how much this was angering her. He could tell by the twitching in her eyebrow. Since reaching chunin, Sakura had always hated being treated like a damsel in distress. She would rather protect herself than have somebody else do it. However, she also knew how to ask for help. She knew when she needed it.

"Itachi–san has been keeping the men away from Tenten–san, as has Neji–san, but this camp is an all male camp, Sasuke–kun."

"Meaning one–sex bathrooms and cabins."

"Unisex now, if you think about it."

"You think they'd spy on you?" Sasuke ignored her correction. "They're shinobi. They should know better than to–"

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "They may be shinobi, but they're also men who have all gone a long time without that sort of release. I don't think they'll force themselves on me, but what if some of them are like Jiraiya–sama? What if they try peeping on me whilst I'm bathing?"

Not for the first time, Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Like Itachi would let that happen. He's traditional, Sakura. And he has honour. Nothing goes unnoticed by him and if he sees somebody attempting to do that, he'll stop them. But if that doesn't happen and he somehow misses it, then fine."

"Thanks. I would've asked Naruto, but I know he'd take advantage of the opportunity and peep on me himself."

"We're teammates." he shrugged. "You've done the same for me before."

And she had. Some of the medics at the hospital were always a little too happy about seeing him there and always told him that it was time for his sponge bath, much to his horror. That was partly where the rumours of them being together came from, because the amount of times Sakura had kicked those fan–girls out, screaming at them to act like medics instead of perverts, was ridiculous.

"I doubt they'll try anything, because most of them have got wives and children, but this is a just in case. We're probably even overreacting and thinking the worst!"

"Or you're being sensible and cautious." Sasuke once again shrugged.

In his honest opinion, Sakura was hard to miss. Like he had, in her words, 'buffed out' since they were twelve, she had filled out. No, she didn't have over–exaggerated curves like most other women, but Sasuke believed that she had the type of figure most men found attractive. Gaara certainly had and the man had been labelled as asexual! Her pastel pink hair had been grown out once more, but Sakura had a habit of growing it, then cutting it, then growing it again. She liked the change. He'd give it another couple of months before she got it cut again.

Also, her almond shaped eyes were most definitely her best feature. He had always thought that (not that he'd ever admit that to her). Sasuke thought it was strange how he could sit there and think about her appearance, but wasn't attracted to her at all. He definitely liked her figure and thought she was beautiful, but… Well, she was Sakura. His friend and teammate. There just weren't any feelings of lust between them.

Maybe there was something wrong with _him_? Not that he'd ever admit to it out loud (just in case that idiot Naruto somehow heard), but Sasuke had never been aroused. At least not to the point where he had to do something about it. Sometimes he woke up with a hard on, but a cold shower soon fixed that. His training was too important to him. He was too busy working hard to please his father. Sasuke didn't have time for relationships and the drama that came with them.

Okay, maybe part of that was a lie. He wasn't a virgin. Nowadays, who was? There were the occasional one night stands, but that was all they were. He was out of their homes the moment he was done with them and didn't ever take them back to his home. Never had Sasuke ever felt attached to anybody in that way. He thought he had once, with Sakura, but their kiss had been awkward. It had felt like he was kissing his sister or something similar to that. They were simply too close for that type of relationship, which was a shame, if he really thought about it. He wouldn't have minded living every day like this. It was simple and as easy as breathing. But that wouldn't be fair to Sakura.

She was a hopeless romantic – everybody knew that. If he went through with that selfish thought, just to please his clan (with children who would no doubt be highly skilled with his abilities and her chakra control) and to save himself the trouble of finding somebody else, it would most likely kill her. Not physically, but emotionally. It would weigh her down and depress her. It would kill her on the inside. And he would never allow something like that to happen.

It wasn't easy though. He had members of his clan approaching him, asking if they were ever going to get married. He had civilians coming up to him when he was going to her house, asking if he loved her. Hell, even the Hokage had once summoned him to her office and gave him 'the talk'. Not about sex. But threatening him, warning him that if he ever hurt Sakura, she would make sure there would be no Uchiha babies coming from him. It had taken him a while to get it into Tsunade's head that they were definitely _not_ together, but she eventually understood and had even seemed relieved. Apparently she also realised how special their bond was and how it would completely destroy their bond if something did happen between him and Sakura and it ended badly.

They had stopped approaching him for a while, however, when the rumours of her being with the Kazekage began. Sasuke had warned her not to tell Ino, even if she did need advice, but the blonde had managed to get it out of her anyway. Of course he already knew. He had seen the look in Gaara's eyes when she kissed him at Christmas. Even Naruto had noticed it! He was into her. And that had been fine with them, just as long as he never hurt her. Physically or emotionally. Not only would he have team seven on his ass faster than he could say 'Shukaku', but he would also destroy the treaty if he ever physically harmed her.

He and Naruto weren't the cliché teammates who scared off all possible suitors (although Naruto often got a little jealous if her attention wasn't on him), but if they genuinely had a problem with the guy trying to court Sakura, then they would tell her once and be done with it. There was no point in trying to get in the way of other people's happiness. It was sick. Like back when she started secretly seeing Gaara, Sasuke had told her to be careful. That was it. There was no hissy fit, demanding to know why the hell she had to be with him. There had been no sulking or trying to get in between them. Team seven simply accepted the relationship. Naruto had even been happy for them both, despite his crush on Sakura.

If they both knew that the guy would treat Sakura well, that he wouldn't mess her about or hurt her, then they were fine. They would stand by her side no matter what, because they knew for a fact that if that man hurt her somehow, she would deal with him herself. Sakura didn't need them to act like possessive, protective older brothers.

For the first night after ending things with Gaara, Sakura had been upset. There was no use in lying about it. But afterwards, she had accepted it. It had been a joint decision and both believed it to be the right thing to do. After that one night of being upset and having a cry, Sakura got back on her feet and got back to work.

She wasn't entirely happy though. Sasuke could see that even now, as she sat eating her fruit and sipping her tea, talking to him about unimportant subjects as she woke up properly. There were times when she would get a certain look in her eyes, a look of loneliness. It wasn't surprising. For a civilian, around this age, they were already settling down and getting married. Their team was aware of how her mother was trying to push her into marrying, but they also knew that Mebuki respected Sakura's profession (but still wanted her to settle down and give her grandchildren).

That eventually got to her, like it would to anybody. Even his father had once asked him when he planned on finding a suitable wife. It got you thinking. Sakura, who had always been a hopeless romantic, wanted to get married. She had even brought it up once before. Not any time soon, of course, but at one point in her life, before she got too old. "_I want to have children not too young, but not too old either – I want to be a youngish mother, who can keep up with her children who will no doubt have a ridiculous amount of energy. And I want my husband to be a caring man, one who will love our children just as much as he loves me_". That had been what she stated one time whilst on a mission. It had stunned him, hearing her speaking about such a personal subject so randomly, but Sasuke had listened, giving the occasional nod and 'hn' to let her know that he was listening.

Sometimes, that was all Sakura wanted. She wanted somebody she could confide in, open up to and tell all of her thoughts without being judged. She simply wanted somebody to listen to her.

One time, just like he knew Naruto had (hell, maybe even Kakashi had when Sakura was of age), Sasuke had wished that he could be that man for Sakura.

Not that he'd ever tell her that.

It had been a random, split second thought. He had just wanted to take away her loneliness. If it had been whilst she had a crush on him, then Sasuke wouldn't have cared. He would have simply ignored her and called her annoying. But they got to know each other better. Their team felt each other's pain as though it was their own. If it was Naruto who was feeling lonely, then they would all do something in their own way to take it away. If Sasuke was feeling particularly broody because of something his father said, then the rest of the team would do what they could to drag him out of that mood. The same went for Kakashi. For Sakura, they gave her whatever love they could and listened to her.

"You're brooding again, Sasuke–kun." Sakura gently bumped into him and gave him a soft smile when he looked down at her. "Penny for your thoughts?"

He shook his head. "It's nothing." seeing that she wasn't convinced, he gave her a small smile. "Really."

Others viewed him as cold and distant, but his clan and team saw different. Sometimes, he could be the exact same as the little boy who would run around the district with a smile on his face. Okay, he wouldn't do that now as it would be a little creepy, but he wasn't as cold as people thought. Close family members such as his parents, Itachi, Shisui and his aunt and uncle at the sweetshop (they were not Shisui's parents, as they had passed away before Sasuke was even born), could get a more vocal reply out of him and a smile, just like his team could. But Sasuke would admit that anyone other than those select few would not get the same reaction or treatment. The only people who could were his precious people. The ones he fought so hard for to impress or protect.

"Okay." Sakura reluctantly accepted his answer and once again set her now empty bowl and cup down on the bedside table. "You ready?"

Nodding once, Sasuke closed his eyes and relaxed as he felt her chakra entering his body, going straight to his eyes.

* * *

**A/N - It took me so much longer to read through this chapter and edit it because I'm currently being pinned down by an overweight cat. I can't push her off, though, because she's ill :-( High temperature, not eating, her balance isn't too great and she keeps randomly purring (which is a sign that she's either ill, in pain or distressed)... We took her to the vets yesterday and they gave her a few injections (anti-inflammatory) I think they said. I hope she's okay, because we've had her since I was like eight, so around ten years she's been in the family. If she's not any better by midday, we have to take her back to the vets!**

**College enrolment day tomorrow! I'm so nervous. Hopefully I'll get in!**

**I think you'll all like next week's chapter! ;-)**

**HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! :-)**


	7. Surprise!

**Chapter 6 – Surprise!**

There was no letter for him today. Well, there was one from his mother and a scroll with recent information on Iwa from the Hokage, but nothing else. That was strange. He always received a letter from Sakura now. Every week. There were multiple reasons why she hadn't replied, but Itachi couldn't think of which one. And he didn't like not knowing.

He was the type of person who preferred to know everything that was going on. No, he was not nosey, but did like to know everything. It was simply who he was. Missing even the smallest piece of information could be fatal. Okay, not receiving a letter from a kunoichi he was not even attached to, was not fatal and actually made him sound like quite the drama queen, but it was still enough to get his mind going.

Had he somehow offended her? Was she on a mission? Did she grow tired of him? Was she putting off replying to him, pegging him as unimportant?

Damn it. Now he sounded as though he was self–conscious. Itachi was not any of those things – he was merely curious. What if he _had_ offended her? It wouldn't have mattered had she not been his brother's teammate, meaning she was quite often at their home, visiting Sasuke. Things would be awkward and Itachi disliked things feeling uncomfortable. He preferred for people to be honest with him. If he did something or said something they found offensive, then Itachi was not above apologising for what he had done if an apology was truly needed.

Once back inside his cabin, Itachi rubbed his eyes tiredly. His mind was working into overdrive due to no sleep these past three days and he knew he had to find some time to sleep soon. But that was just the point. He could not go to sleep. Not because he didn't want to, because Itachi would _really_ like to go to sleep. It was because there had been sightings of Iwa–nin heading in their direction. They would be easily spotted and taken care of, but if they were getting close to Fire Country's border, then it was Itachi's job to make sure that they did not pass it without some form of identification and proof that it was imperative they went through.

Perimeter runs had been doubled in their designated area and Itachi had gotten in contact with the other captains, suggesting that they do the same. Of course, Hatake Kakashi being the genius that he was known as, had already done so, but thanked Itachi for his advice.

If Iwa–nin were finally closing in, then it meant that the war between their villages had begun. Itachi sighed. He and Shisui had done all they could to avoid such a thing happening. Instead of killing their enemies, Shisui had used his sharingan on the captains of the teams, making them believe that there was no need for such violence. Only now did it occur to them that it had been the wrong thing to do. Not only had it not worked, but now, Shisui's eyes had deteriorated badly.

"Itachi–senpai." a calm voice spoke a second after there was a knock.

Unless outside of base camp, they could use their names. On one of the other ANBU teams, they had a shinobi who was a genius with seals and he had sealed their entire area to make sure nothing they said ever got out. Of course they were still wary and used each other's names as little as possible. Itachi himself usually settled with using code names, but he knew the other men preferred being called by their given name. He couldn't blame them for that. It reminded them of who they really were. Not killers, but men. They were people.

"What is it, Tenzo–senpai?"

Tenzo had many different names as far as Itachi was aware of. At first it had been Kinoe, then Tenzo and for a short period of time, it had been Yamato. That had been when he was a temporary captain for team seven. Now, Itachi called him by the name "Tenzo". Back during their earlier days in ANBU, when he had been placed in Kakashi's team, he had discovered that the wood–user preferred that name than the others. It held meaning to him.

"We're running dangerously low on space." he informed Itachi. "And tensions are running high, so some of the men who are still not ANBU are beginning to complain. They haven't been taught like we have, so they don't know when to be quiet and accept it."

In response, Itachi sighed. Great. This was exactly what he needed. Men acting like hormonal women. Yes, Itachi was aware of the tension rising within their camp and he was aware of the uncomfortable feeling in the air. Some of the men wished for their own space so that they could deal with that certain tension in their bodies. Being in a room filled with many other men was not what somebody needed whilst trying to relieve themselves of that frustration.

"I'm beginning to wonder whether any these men will ever be cut out for ANBU." Itachi told Tenzo honestly and tilting his head, he gestured for the wood–user to enter. They had become somewhat friends during their time on Team Ro and Itachi would not deny that he was comfortable around the older man. "Compared to other missions, this should be nothing."

"They're not used to this like we are." the brunet gave a soft shrug, taking a seat opposite the Uchiha captain. "Some of these men haven't been taught like we have, and have only been sent here because of their battle skills. I know, in my temporary team, two of them are just about jonin. The only things they know about ANBU, is that we must be secretive and wary of the things we say. And they only learned those things because of the letters they send their families or friends!"

He shook his head. "That is no excuse for the way they are currently acting."

Tenzo nodded once in agreement. "No, it's not. But they're still men. Itachi–senpai, this may seem rather personal, but unlike you or me, they have wives. Those wives, before these seven or eight months, have always been around them, ready to satisfy those certain needs. It doesn't excuse the way they're behaving, as they should always remember that they're shinobi first, but you shouldn't be so hard on them. They miss their wives."

No, they missed their wives' bodies. Maybe that was harsh but it was true. They hadn't been pining as badly for them until Tenten arrived. This was pathetic! How did any of these men even pass as suitable to come out here? Had nobody informed them that this was what being a shinobi was about? They had to endure it. Sacrifices had to be made. This was nothing compared to what it could be like. So what they had to go a while without sex? They were acting as though this was the worst thing to ever happen to them.

Taking a deep breath, Itachi forced himself to let it go. Like Tenzo had said, they were not ANBU but with the way the were going, like _he_ had said, they would never be cut out for it. His team had gone over eighteen months without sexual contact and they hadn't complained once. Yes, there was the odd morning or night when certain members of his team would sneak off to deal with a certain problem they were having, but that was all. They didn't go on and on about it like whining school girls.

"If it is not a problem, will you build four more cabins?" Itachi asked, reopening his eyes so that he could look at Tenzo. When the man nodded, he then added, "I am sure you know where they should be placed?" Again, another nod. "Nothing extravagant, Tenzo–senpai. Simple cabins built with nothing more than a single room."

"Of course, Itachi–senpai." standing up, Tenzo made his way out the door. "Will you be deciding who stays where, or shall I?"

There was a moment of silence where Itachi thought about it. "Wait until everybody has returned. Gather everybody once they have, as we seem to need to go over certain issues."

Inwardly, Tenzo grimaced.

Uchiha Itachi was not happy with how the others were acting.

The teams were in trouble.

* * *

Glancing around him, Tenzo nodded once. Since the cabins were only basic, it hadn't taken too much of his chakra. In fact, he still had plenty left and if he ate something fairly soon, then he would be back to full.

Instead of there being seven cabins, there were now eleven – twelve if you included the storage cabin where all weaponry and food was stored. It was much larger than other base camps, so now they would have to take extra precautions. The whole point of three ANBU teams being at base camp four, right in the centre, was to surprise any shinobi who believed this camp would be the weakest. From a single glance, without really paying attention, they seemed fairly weak. Which was exactly what they wanted. And they continued surprising their enemies because every time they came, Shisui used his technique and made them forget about who they fought, making them believe they were nothing more than chunin, jonin at best.

All captains (three altogether) had their own cabin. The captains were himself, Uchiha Itachi and another male named Toshi. Altogether, there were four people on one team, besides Uchiha Itachi's team. There were only three of them. Itachi, Shisui and Neji. It was unusual for one team to hold many with eyes such as theirs, but it had been put together by the Hokage for just this mission of watching the border. Really, the teams meant little unless they were doing a perimeter run or battle. In his team were Sai and the two recently–made jonin who usually assisted the Hokage, Izumo and Kotetsu.

Honestly, Tenzo had hoped that he would be given Genma, as the man was extremely talented with weaponry, mostly senbon. He liked to have a mixture of different strengths on his team. Well, he did still have that mixture, but Genma was very handy to have on the battlefield. His relationship with none other than Shizune had taught him a few things on medical ninjutsu, too. However, Genma was one of three who had been selected to guard the Hokage and had been since the Yondaime. Due to there possibly being a war, he wasn't supposed to leave her side unless there was an emergency and he absolutely had to.

"Let me see here." Tenzo mumbled to himself, one of his arms crossing over his middle whilst his other elbow used it to lean on, his hand cupping his chin in thought. "Eleven cabins. Three for the captains. One for Shisui–san and Neji–san. Another for Lee, Sai, Izumo and Kotetsu. Nope, two for those four." Sai apparently made one of them uneasy with his 'need to draw everything that fascinates him'. Childish, if you asked Tenzo. "Six already. Then we have five left over. Hm…"

"Is something wrong, Tenzo–taichou?"

Looking down at the empty voice, Tenzo sighed. Sai. Like him, the boy was former ROOT, but unfortunately, he had not had somebody like Hatake Kakashi there to save him from Danzo. Now that he thought about it, Tenzo owed a lot to the Copy–Nin. Hopefully taking over team seven for a short while was enough to pay off that debt, as Tenzo honestly wasn't sure he could do it again. Naruto and Sasuke's bickering had almost driven him insane! And then add emotionless Sai, who had been a member during Naruto's absence. A big mess, if you asked him. Of course they were all friends now (he wasn't too sure about Sai and Sasuke, though).

"Itachi–senpai asked me to create more cabins, as some of the others are getting uncomfortable with sharing."

"Ridiculous." Sai muttered and glanced over his shoulder at two of the members from his current team. They were lazing about, doing absolutely nothing. In fact, they had been doing that since around the time team Gai arrived. "Are they not aware that, to make ANBU or ROOT, you have to put up with these things? We are shinobi. We do not get five star inns all the time."

"That we don't." Tenzo sighed once more. "But let's not forget that not all of these men have been brought up the way we personally have, Sai. As for those two," he did a discreet head gesture towards the two Sai's words were mostly aimed at, "they're not even used to leaving the village all that often. They were sent with us to help out with information gathering and more official matters."

Sai nodded once. "So things they usually help Hokage–sama with?"

"Indeed."

Turning back to face the new cabins, Sai once again glanced up at Tenzo. "Is there something wrong with the cabins?"

Tenzo shook his head. No, nothing was wrong with them. If there was then that meant there was something wrong with _him_, as wood would always be a part of him. "No. I think there may be a few too many."

"Interrogation cabin." Sai pointed at the cabin in the dead centre. Then, he pointed to another. "Somewhere to eat. I have heard a few complaints about eating outside at this time of year. Bugs are beginning to fly around and are attracted to food. How many are left over?"

That wasn't a bad idea, actually. Tenzo looked thoughtful once more. Even if they went with Sai's idea, they still had three left over. Of course! Two more for the other team, which would mean two to each cabin. One left over. "There's one left over."

"A guest cabin." said another voice from behind them. When they turned, they noticed Neji standing there.

"I don't mind sharing with Lee–san, but he has a habit of waking up much earlier than myself and ends up waking me up, too, meaning I don't get as much sleep as I would like or need." Sai added with a nod.

It was the truth. On several occasions during the past week and a half, quite a few people had complained about Lee's habits. Tenzo had always calmly told them that he was simply doing what he had ever since graduating from the academy, before then even, to which they would snap out a reply such as, "_Can't he take a freaking break? We already wake up early after little sleep, meaning we're not going to be at our maximum should anybody attack_". Again, in Tenzo's eyes, they were being childish. In all honesty, if he could, he would have contacted the Hokage many times by now and asked her to swap around the teams. Their constant complaining and whining was giving him an even bigger headache than the one he had as a temporary captain on team seven! Even Uchiha Itachi was beginning to lose his patience and that was seriously saying something. In all the time he had known the Uchiha, Itachi never lost his temper once. He was always calm and composed. Ready. Patient. Emotionless.

"That sounds like a good idea." Tenzo told both Sai and Neji with a smile. "I'll run it by Itachi–senpai and Toshi–senpai before we decide anything, though." they both nodded once, but just as Sai opened his mouth to say something, Tenzo tensed. His hand was burning. Frowning, the brunet glanced down, but his eyes widened with a mixture of different emotions. Shit! "Neji–san." he kept his voice composed, but there was an obvious urgency to his tone. "Please activate your byakugan and look in the direction of Konoha."

With a momentary frown, Neji nodded before turning to face south and activating his byakugan. A second later Tenzo felt his insides turn cold when Neji narrowed his eyes dangerously and growled. Like Itachi, the Hyuuga was usually very in control of his emotions. "Iwa–nin, all around jonin rank, have managed to get through. Several platoons." looking in a different direction, his fists clenched. "Base camp two is in ruins. They will need medical assistance immediately."

"What about the Iwa–nin?" Tenzo practically demanded, much to their surprise. "Are they in the middle of battle?"

At this, Neji's eyes also widened. "This chakra… Uzumaki Naruto and the rest of his team have confronted them. They are battling as we speak. However, it seems Naruto's seal has weakened considerably. He has been separated from Sakura and Sasuke."

That was all Tenzo needed to know. Of course Neji wouldn't be aware of the fact that Naruto was attempting to control the Kyuubi, which was why his seal was currently so weak. "Neji–san, please stay here and keep focusing on the border around base camp two's area for more Iwa–nin. Sai, go to Itachi–senpai and inform him of what you have just found out and mention three tails. Tell him I need back up."

Sai's eyes widened. "Taichou, you can't–"

"Naruto needs me right now to control the Kyuubi. If his watcher is incapable of doing so, that responsibility falls to myself, Uchiha Itachi or Uchiha Shisui."

With that, he disappeared.

"Shit!" Sai uncharacteristically cursed and immediately darted off to Itachi's cabin.

"Taichou!" Sai called as he stopped at the doorway of Itachi's cabin. "There is a battle. Ten miles south of us. It seems base camp two has been infiltrated and Iwa–nin have now entered Fire Country. Neji–san confirmed that the team being attacked is none other than team seven. Tenzo–taichou has already set out and is preparing himself in case the Kyuubi is released."

So that was why Sakura had not replied.

Wait. What on earth was he thinking? Now wasn't the time for such petty thoughts! A team belonging to their village was under attack. His brother's team.

"What else do you know?" Itachi asked, grabbing his mask from the table in his cabin and placing it over his face. Making his way to the door where the shinobi was currently standing, he slipped on his sandals.

"Three tails. That was all Tenzo–taichou would tell us. Neji–san, however, told us that there are several platoons of Iwa–nin, all of jonin rank or higher and all heading straight to Konoha."

"Alert Shisui and tell him to keep guard here in case any more Iwa–nin try to slip by us. Neji–san and Tenten–san are also to stay here. Sai–san, you and Lee–san will follow after me once you have done these things. The rest will stand guard here."

Itachi was gone before he could say anything more.

* * *

Just as she lunged into the air, ready to dive on her enemy, Sakura saw at the last second the Iwa–nin throwing several kunai at her. He would have to do better than that – this had happened to her before, during the chunin exams! Her arms and legs raised in front of her torso and neck protectively and Sakura held back a grunt of pain as they sliced into her skin, stabbing her, but a second later, she was straightening out and pulling back her fist, chakra enveloping it.

This all happened in the span of three seconds.

And then the area was splitting, crumbling, quaking. Large pieces of earth were being thrown around as a gigantic crater was formed when she slammed the Iwa–nin into the ground, her fist going straight through his chest until it reached hardened soil that was barely covered by grass.

Her eyes were wild yet calculating as she surveyed the area, taking a moment to check on her team. Sasuke wasn't fighting as well as he usually did thanks to his eyes not being one hundred percent healed, but he was surviving. As for Naruto–

Shit.

She quickly ducked, avoiding the kunai that would have no doubt gone straight through her skull had it hit. Hands dropping to the ground, her foot lashed out, hitting her approaching opponent in the jaw and sending him flying through the air and into tree after tree.

A large fire jutsu had Sakura leaping backwards, her eyes widening as she heard Sasuke's grunt of pain. That idiot! He activated his sharingan. Darting forward, Sakura tackled the shinobi who was about to stab her teammate in the back, to the ground, using his own kunai against him as she slit his throat. She didn't waste any time thinking about what she had just done and instead jumped onto her feet, her back brushing against Sasuke's.

"I told you not to activate it!"

"Shut up, Sakura." he growled. His eyes were fucking _burning_! "I need to get to Naruto – he's up to four tails! Focus on your own battle."

That was right! He was Naruto's watcher, so needed to–

"Get down!"

Sasuke quickly knocked her to the ground, shielding her with his own body as many, _many_ kunai were thrown towards them. A catapult? Or had their enemies gotten their hands on scrolls like Tenten's? Luckily, they went right over their heads and missed them completely. Getting back to his feet once the assault was over, Sasuke yanked Sakura to hers, just barely avoiding having her head crushed by a boulder–like fist.

Before the man could even react, Sakura whirled around, gathered as much chakra as she could into her fist, and slammed it into his head. He tried to resist for a moment, his face pushing against her fist, but she merely added more chakra and growled. He didn't stand a chance and a moment later, like the other Iwa–nin, he was being thrown across the clearing, taking a few others with him.

How long had they been fighting? Fifteen, maybe twenty minutes? This was bad. Naruto had seen her take a kunai to the shoulder and lost control. It had never been so easy to get the Kyuubi riled up before! Granted, it had been rather dramatic, what with her gasp/cry of pain (despite her flak jacket stopping it from cutting too deep) and the Iwa–nin all letting out battle screams whilst charging at them. Was there really any need to do that? They were a team of three shinobi. For all they knew, they could have been weak.

Who was she kidding? Everybody had heard of team seven. The Kyuubi taking control of Naruto, her pink hair and the Uchiha emblem on the jonin uniform of Sasuke's shoulder only confirmed their suspicions.

They just kept coming! One platoon of Iwa–nin after another!

"Ambush." Sasuke told her, not even needing to look at her to know what she was thinking.

Once again, his back was against hers as they glared at the shinobi surrounding them.

"Eyes?"

Sasuke grunted.

Not good.

Just as she raised her fists, blue chakra beginning to surround them, two figures dropped to hers and Sasuke's sides, making her eyes widen. Sai! She couldn't tell who the other was, considering he had his ANBU mask on. Another two men suddenly darted passed them, heading in the direction Naruto had gone in. Instantly, Sakura knew it was Lee and Yamato. Or Tenzo. Whatever name he chose to go by these days.

"Hi, Ugly."

Her left eye twitched. "Sai."

The next voice had her body tensing. "Sasuke. Cherry–san."

Cherry–san? He called her 'Cherry–san'! And other than Tsunade and Sasuke, only one other person knew that name. Which could only mean…

It was Itachi!

She couldn't explain the fluttering in her stomach, the one she always got when she received his letters, as he wasn't even looking at her! Neither was Sai, for that matter. All of them had their backs to each other, observing their enemies. Sasuke grunted in acknowledgement to his older brother, but completely ignored Sai, just like Sai ignored him. They had never gotten along.

"You were not given permission to cross our borders." Itachi suddenly spoke to the Iwa–nin surrounding them. It seemed they didn't know who they were standing before, since none of them backed away or gave up with their glaring. "Explain yourselves."

"We don't need to answer to bastards like you!" one Iwa–nin spat.

"Is that so?" Itachi asked smoothly, appearing almost bored. "Not only are you trespassing, but you also attacked one of our teams." Several, if you included the base camp. But Itachi knew better than to accuse another village, one they were already so close to going to war with, of such things. "Rather idiotic, if you asked me."

"Nobody is asking you. We're here for the good for nothing Uchiha scum!"

Sasuke tensed. How could they tell who Itachi was? He was wearing a mask! Unless… He glanced over his shoulder. No, you couldn't see the glow of his sharingan in this type of lighting. At least, Sasuke himself couldn't. That wasn't too surprising. Yes, after she worked on his eyes, they had been much, much better, but it seemed any healing Sakura had once done on his eyes was undone when he activated his sharingan. Whatever the reason, they could tell who Itachi was.

However, when he turned back to look at the Iwa–nin who had spoken, Sasuke saw that they were not glaring at Itachi, but instead _him_.

Sakura's eyes narrowed dangerously as she noticed the same thing. "You attacked us to try and either capture my teammate or kill him, right?"

"We don't answer to weak females, Pinky."

Always being underestimated. God it pissed her off so much! Instead of showing that anger in anything other than the tick in her eyebrow and her words, Sakura replied, "Come up with better insults, idiot."

"What the hell did you just call me?" he yelled in response. "I'll kill you, you whore!"

And so the battle resumed.

They had discovered one thing. Iwa wanted either Uchiha Sasuke dead, or the entire clan.

But they needed more information on that first before they sent the latest development to Tsunade.

Using her arm, she blocked the punch that was aimed for her throat and with one, swift movement, she twisted the man's – who had called her not only weak, but also a whore – arm behind his back, using him as a shield to deflect yet another barrage of kunai that had been aiming at her. He was dead before he even hit the ground.

In the back of her mind, Sakura knew that all of these deaths were going to come back to her. Not right now. Her mind was too focused on battle and her body was practically vibrating with adrenaline. But tonight, when she would be laying in bed, hoping to sleep, all the thoughts that were not invading her mind right at this moment in time, were going to jump her. They always did.

Feeling and hearing more than seeing yet another fire jutsu, Sakura grabbed more Iwa–nin and launched them towards it, ignoring their howls of pain as best as she could. From the sheer size of the fireball, she was guessing it was Itachi and not Sasuke.

Two black and white beasts suddenly appeared by her sides, tearing into the shinobi who had been attempting at sneaking up on her. She nodded once to Sai, giving him her thanks silently. There was nothing wrong with accepting help every now and then, just as long as she wasn't being constantly saved, making her appear as weak.

A part of her always got excited for battle. Was that wrong of her? No, she did not enjoy killing, but she enjoyed fighting. She enjoyed the rush it would bring her.

Shockingly blond hair as well as an unmistakably orange and black outfit, suddenly appeared in her line of vision and Sakura couldn't help but sigh in relief when she saw Naruto was once more in control. Yes, it had definitely been their temporary team captain, Yamato. Or Tenzo. The whole thing was confusing to her, really! One moment, he was Yamato, but others would call him Tenzo. Did he willingly change his name over and over again? Why would he do that? It was kind of aggravating, because Sakura had no idea what she was supposed to call him.

An arm wrapped around her middle, yanking her backwards and out of the way of what could only be described as an arm made out of rock. It reminded her of Choji's expansion jutsu, but this arm appeared to be solid like a rock and also had a stone's colouring.

"Watch yourself, Cherry–san." a voice spoke in her ear and Sakura couldn't deny that she gasped and had to hold back a shiver. "This is no time to let your mind wander."

And then Itachi was gone.

Forcing down the blush on her cheeks and ignoring the way his body had felt against hers, Sakura jumped straight back into the battle beside Naruto and a moment later, Sasuke dropped at Naruto's other side.

This was the infamous team seven. If somebody wanted to kill one of their members, they would have to kill them all because there was not a chance in hell that any of them were going to die any time soon. It was childish to think such a way, they all knew that, but it was the truth. Nobody threatened their team. Nobody spoke so boldly of wishing to kill their teammates, their friends, unless they had a death wish.

Once again, Sasuke activated his sharingan, shoving the burning he felt out of his mind as he glared murderously at the shinobi before them. Outside of battle, he was cool and distant, preferring to appear as emotionless unless he was with his precious people. In battle, he was harsh, ruthless and unforgiving and definitely not somebody you wanted to get on the wrong side of.

Naruto crouched into an almost animalistic fighting stance, ready to pounce. He did not like killing people. It was plain and simple. However, these shinobi were threatening his home, his friends. They had hurt Sakura. One day, he was definitely going to be Hokage, so he needed to be able to protect his friends!

Watching them with narrowed eyes, Sakura tugged at one of her gloves, summoning her chakra for the final round. The group of four behind them had dispatched of the other Iwa–nin, keeping the leader of the teams alive and under a paralysing genjutsu so that they could interrogate him.

Eyes snapping up to the shinobi before her once again, Sakura settled her features into a determined mask. She would not let a single one of them capture or kill Sasuke. Or anybody else belonging to the Uchiha clan.

It was with that thought that the three darted forward, each of them prepared to finally end this already prolonged battle.

* * *

The journey back to base camp four was long and tiring, mostly because they had to go to base camp two, first. It had been utterly destroyed, but thankfully, there were no deaths. Many had been wounded and with the basic medical knowledge all ANBU knew, Sai, Tenzo and Itachi got to stitching and bandaging up the ones Sakura did not heal. She focused more on the serious injuries, the ones who needed her chakra to save them. Even Naruto and Sasuke had helped out, assisting her whenever she needed help. Tenzo also rebuilt the cabins for them.

That had taken around four or five hours and during that time, Sai sent an emergency message to Tsunade, informing her of what had happened. No doubt when the blonde received his message, she would growl, yell and curse. And then perhaps start throwing things.

Once they finally arrived at base camp four, Sakura was utterly exhausted and just barely capable of walking without having to use Naruto to lean on. Also, whilst he didn't mention anything, she knew that Sasuke's eyes were hurting him. It was in the way he had focused extremely hard whilst they had been running through the trees.

She felt so guilty. What if they became even more damaged? Sakura was aware that it wasn't entirely her fault, for she had warned him about activating his sharingan, but it had been her who so desperately wanted Sasuke to join her and Naruto. Not only because he would enjoy seeing his older brother for the first time in months, but also because–

Already, Sakura could understand what Tenten had been warning Tsunade of.

It appeared as though everybody was outside, sitting around a camp fire as they conversed with one another. They were all on high alert though and it only confirmed her suspicions when all men suddenly turned towards them, their eyes lingering on her much longer than they did the rest.

Naruto growled warningly.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

In front of her, Sakura heard Itachi sigh with what she presumed as annoyance (you could never really tell) whilst Sai gave them all a blank look, as though he was silently questioning if the men were really attempting to have eye sex with her, especially whilst she was surrounded by her teammates and so very obviously worn out.

Sitting beside Neji, Tenten gave her an understanding look, but Sakura also noticed how the brunette sighed with relief when all attention was ripped away from her and focused solely on Sakura.

However, instead of showing her anger, Sakura merely took a deep breath and gave them all a serious look. At the last second, she thought better than to ask 'does anybody require healing', as more than likely, they would all say they would. Rolling her eyes, she glanced at those who had been in battle with her earlier that day. "Do you need healing at all, Lee–san, Uchiha–taichou, Yamato–taichou, Sai?"

"No." they replied rather simply, earning them a shrug. Well, Lee had smiled brightly and exclaimed, "No thank you, Sakura–san!" but same difference.

"Sakura," Tenzo gave her a smile, "Yamato was a code name. Call me Tenzo instead."

"Okay, taichou. You two," she looked at her teammates, "no arguments. You're being healed." Sasuke was a hell of a lot more injured than Naruto (his eyes), but she knew better than to say such a thing in front of everyone. "Uchiha–taichou, is there somewhere I can examine them?"

He was silent for a moment, thinking it over. "There should be a spare cabin near the back. Tenzo–senpai will guide you to it."

"Thank you."

And with that, they were heading off in the direction of the cabin, Sakura inwardly growling as she felt the eyes lingering on her ass.

"Sakura–chan," Naruto mumbled, glancing over his shoulder and frowning at the heated looks she was receiving. He shifted his position so he was behind her, as though shielding her from their eyes, "they're all staring at you like they want to eat you."

"You will have to excuse them." Tenzo sighed and it was obvious that he was annoyed. "It appears as though most of the men here have come down with a sudden need for sexual contact. Do not worry, however, Sakura. They have all been warned before, when Tenten first arrived, that they are not to try anything unless either of you are one hundred percent willing."

This time, it was outwardly that she growled. "Tenzo–taichou, most of them are married!"

Again, he sighed. "I know."

Once shown to the cabin, which Tenzo had informed them was their cabin, Sakura wasted no time in healing her teammates and herself of their wounds and once they were out of the way, she focused completely on Sasuke's eyes. After grabbing a clean set of clothes with the intention of using the shower, on his way there, Naruto closed the curtains (yes, curtains! He had been so surprised to see them there) and lit a single candle, already knowing how sensitive Sasuke's eyes were going to be.

"I'm sorry." she told him, her chakra soothing and comforting as it worked through clearing his chakra pathways in his eyes. They were much thinner than the ones around his body, so Sakura knew she had to be a hell of a lot more delicate, as one wrong move and she could blind him or damage his sharingan permanently. "I should never have lied to–"

"I don't blame you, Sakura." if his eyes hadn't been closed, he would have rolled them. "You gave me instructions to follow and I didn't follow them."

"We're both to blame then." she couldn't let him take the blame for this. It had been her pushing that had Sasuke coming out here with them. "For tonight, try to rest your eyes. I've cleared the chakra pathways leading to your eyes as much as I can, but right now my chakra is too low and I can't risk damaging your eyes further. Once I've eaten and taken a nap, I can–"

He cut her off with a smirk. "Go and take a shower, first. You stink. In the morning you can heal my eyes."

"Shower? I can't–"

Remembering the looks she had received and understanding why she was uncomfortable, he once again interrupted her. "I'll stand at the entrance and keep others out."

If they reacted to her in such a way whilst she was wearing a standard issue Konoha shinobi's uniform, how would they react to stumbling upon her in the shower? Sasuke dreaded to think. No, he was not overprotective of his teammate as she could protect herself, but he could tell she would find it mortifying if anybody other than their team saw her naked. At one point, they had all seen each other naked as there were times when the team visited unisex baths, not able to stop anywhere else. It occurred to them after a while, however, that it was always Naruto who pointed out those certain bathhouses and by that time, they were all too worn out to argue.

Her uniform was nothing special. The pants were formfitting, as was the sweatshirt that was currently hidden beneath her flak jacket, but that was because she disliked loosely fitted clothes. They were easier to grab onto and even Ino agreed with her on that. Then again, the blonde was known for her revealing outfits.

Sighing, Sakura extracted her chakra and stood up, picking up her bag to take to the showers with her. Hopefully it wouldn't be an outdoor type, where there were only stalls and a shower head. If it was, she was going to need something like a very strong genjutsu to stop the men from spying on her.

Like when arriving, the men watched her as she and Sasuke walked by them.

Fortunately for them both, Tenten seemed to understand what they were doing as she recognised the direction they were heading in. She climbed to her feet quickly and chased after them.

"Sakura, Sasuke!"

They paused, turning to face the brunette. "Is something wrong, Tenten–san?"

She shook her head at Sakura's question, giving her a small smile. "I'd like to think that, if our roles were reversed, you'd do this for me, too. Sasuke, instead of you watching out for those guys, I'll watch over her. There's a cubicle further away from the door and there's not a chance of anybody seeing her if I'm standing in front of it." they both seemed wary, so she gave them more of a reassuring smile. "I promise, Sakura, I won't let any guys through. This will save you both so much time, this way. You can both shower."

After only a mere second of thinking, Sakura nodded gratefully. "Thanks for this, Tenten. If you ever need me to do the same, just ask."

Waving a dismissive hand, Tenten shrugged. "You don't need to thank me, but I'll definitely be cashing in for that offer. The men around here are like animals! Lee keeps challenging them all to sparring matches, trying to keep them away from me. It's so stupid!"

Indeed it was. "They haven't given you too much trouble, have they?"

"No. They're harmless really, but it's _that_ look, you know?"

Of course. All women knew 'that look'. Unless you wanted to receive it, it was completely unwelcome and in some cases, utterly terrifying.

"What look?" Sasuke asked.

The two kunoichi exchanged glances, Tenten blushing ever so slightly when Sakura turned her head to the side and, rather bluntly, told him, "The look that tells you you're about to have your clothes ripped off before you're ravished."

Used to her blunt speech by now, Sasuke rolled his eyes. It wasn't only women who received such looks! He himself had received them many times. They made him extremely uncomfortable, but Sasuke had learned to somewhat ignore them. Still, it had to be quite scary for a woman to be given such a look. And when said woman was weaker than that man, so could not even defend herself?

As they reached the area holding showers (thankfully, Tenzo had put up a couple of walls as well as a roof when Tenten arrived to give her some privacy), Sasuke placed his bag onto one of the benches and pulled his shirt over his head, pausing for a moment as he heard Sakura stop in her movements. When he looked up, he saw that she was hesitating. Tenten was in front of her, still walking forward, but she had stopped.

Only very few knew this, but Sakura had body issues. The only men to see her naked were her team and Gaara. Other than that, only Ino and Tsunade had seen her naked, the latter because she was Sakura's medic and the former because… Well, Sasuke didn't know why. He didn't want to know, either. All he knew was that girls did weird crap together like comparing body parts. Completely insane, if you asked him. Although Sasuke had to admit that once, _once_, Naruto had almost goaded him into comparing sizes of… Well…

Shoving those vile thoughts from his mind, he gave Sakura a serious look and nodded once, silently assuring her that he'd keep an eye on the entrance whilst also showering. There was no real door, so anybody could walk in or out, so he chose the cubicle a few down from Sakura's, giving him a clear view of the entrance as well as the top of Sakura's head.

She smiled gratefully before going over to where Tenten was patiently waiting and once undressed, she slipped into the shower, the brunette turning her back on Sakura. She folded her arms over her chest, her expression serious. If somebody somehow managed to get by Sasuke, she would see to it that that particular man would not be walking out of there any time soon.

* * *

**A/N - Oh I'm heartbroken. I was watching Death Note and just... No. I'm on episode thirty three now and I'm upset with what they did.**

**HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! :-)**


	8. Only When I'm Gone

**Chapter 7 – Only When I'm Gone**

Like she had thought, Neji put up no fight with having her examine his eyes. He told her everything she asked about and thankfully, other than mild eye strain, he was perfectly healthy. Sakura was no optician, so she could do nothing about mere eye strain other than giving him some eye drops. She had none. And the base camp was hardly a place to create some, as it was not sterile enough, especially not for eyes. So instead Sakura wrote it down, making a note of needing eye drops.

Then, she went on to examine Shisui. He had been a little difficult, trying to tell her that his eyes weren't all that serious. Neji had rolled his eyes, saying he should just get it over with before leaving to go and find Lee and Tenten. When they had been left alone, Shisui told her that he didn't want to be sent back to the village because of his carelessness. After all, despite all his hard efforts to keep unnecessary fights from breaking out, they still did.

"Please, Shisui–san." Sakura said softly, watching him as he stood nearer to the wall than to her. She had had difficult patients before. At least she knew for a fact that Uchiha Shisui would not get violent with her. Well she hoped he wouldn't. "I can heal whatever damage there is to yours eyes–"

"They are too severely damaged, Sakura–san." he replied patiently. "I am being blinded because of my sharingan. You cannot stop that."

"But I can try."

Finally she had caught his attention. The reason why he was there at all was because Shisui would rather have this conversation with her in private instead of having it in front of the camp. That would simply be humiliating. "And how would you do that, may I ask? The Mangekyō is not the same as Sasuke's sharingan and you cannot tell me that you have researched it. You need eyes like mine, Itachi's or even Sasuke's, to do so."

Shisui was not insinuating that Sasuke was weak. Quite the opposite, actually. In a way he was acknowledging the younger Uchiha's eye prowess by suggesting he could read the research she could not. Sakura was getting the idea that, unless your eyes were powerful, you would not be able to decipher the scroll he was talking about. "I can take a look at your eyes, see how badly damaged they are and if I need to, I will stay longer to do several healing sessions. You're forgetting that my former sensei, Hatake Kakashi, also has the Mangekyō."

Which was incredibly strange. He said that he has no idea how he received it, but Sakura could see in his eyes that he knew perfectly well when it happened. He just didn't want to talk about it. And she wouldn't force him to. It would be heartless of her, as his pain was obviously great, so Sakura instead settled on going along with it and doing everything she could.

"I've prevented his blindness so far, eradicating all chakra build up. I will admit, however, that I haven't been able to completely cure his eye. Maybe now, after learning what I have about the sharingan, I may be able to."

"And how many other Uchiha have had their eyes repaired because of your research?"

"Last I heard from Tsunade-sama before we left, over thirty of your clansmen."

Silence.

Taking that as a good sign, she continued. "After being given permission to research your eyes in your clan's library, I have learned so much that none of us knew before – not even Tsunade–sama! We're able to save many of your clansmen's eyes now. Tsunade–sama herself will be healing Fugaku–san's eyes some time soon if she hasn't already."

"And what about Mikoto–san? Is she also having her eyes healed?"

"Mikoto–san's eyes are not as powerful as her husband's and she does not use them nearly as much, but yes, Tsunade–sama will also be healing hers."

It felt like hours had passed when Shisui finally agreed and stepped towards his bed, sitting down on it and crossing his legs. Sakura sat down opposite him, also folding her legs and leaning forward. "My chakra is foreign to you, so please don't push me out, Shisui–san. The eye is incredibly sensitive and by such a forceful exit, you could end up doing more damage." he nodded once, closing his eyes and relaxing. "I'll begin now."

The moment she had summoned her chakra, placed her hands on his face and began to examine Shisui's eyes, Sakura found herself unable to reach them. That was not Shisui's doing. The chakra build up was great and because of that, she could not get through. Luckily for them, she was persistent. "You're lucky you can use your sharingan at all, Shisui–san." she told him seriously, her eyebrows knitting together over her closed eyes. "But I'm guessing you force it to activate, right?"

"…Correct."

She sighed. "You Uchiha men are all the same! Seriously, I tell Sasuke–kun _not_ to activate his sharingan, as it will do more bad than good and what does he go and do?"

"Activates it?" there was a smirk on his lips, but she couldn't see it due to her eyes being closed.

"Yes! And then he told me to wait until today to heal his eyes, only when I got up to do so, he was out doing a perimeter run with Itachi–san and Tenzo–taichou." she paused for a moment, cracking one eye open. Shisui's eyes were still closed. "Oi, Shisui–san?" he hummed. "What do I call Itachi–san?"

A frown graced his features, but he knew better than to open his eyes whilst she was healing them. It would be disorientating and the light would no doubt give him a headache. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," she sighed again, "yesterday, when he, Sai, Lee–san and Tenzo–taichou came to back us up, he called me 'Cherry–san', like in our letters. But I don't know whether to call him Crow–san, Uchiha–san, Uchiha–_taichou_, _Itachi–san_ or _Itachi–taichou_! It's so frustrating."

Once again, Shisui was smirking. "Why don't you call him Itachi–_kun_?"

It took everything in Sakura not to clench her fists it as it could have messed up her chakra pattern, meaning she would change the consistency in healing his eyes. Instead, she scoffed. "Do you really believe he would appreciate me calling him that in front of the others?"

"You call Sasuke that."

"That's because I've always called Sasuke, 'Sasuke–kun'. It's more like a habit now. I drop the '–kun' suffix when I'm mad at him or deadly serious."

His smirk widened. "Scary."

"Absolutely terrifying." she agreed sarcastically. "It's how he knows something is up and that I'm not joking around. Dropping the suffix has actually saved us many times whilst out on missions! If I notice something he's somehow missed, that's how I let him know, which then leads to him searching for what I'm pointing out. You get the rest, don't you?"

Shisui nodded. "That is quite smart, actually."

"And it was all my idea! If you asked Sasuke–kun, though, he'd probably say it was his."

"If you don't mind my asking, is it true that you and Sasuke–"

"You're on about those stupid rumours, right?" Sakura sighed when she felt Shisui nod his head once. "No. We're not in a relationship, secretly planning on eloping and I am not knocked up with his bastard child." he gave a throaty chuckle. "It's not funny! At least once a week, somebody will come up to one of us with a new rumour. Last I heard, we were seen exiting the training grounds looking as though we did a little more than sparring."

He raised a curious eyebrow. "And did you?"

"No!" Sakura snapped. "For crying out loud, Naruto was behind us!"

"Threesome." he shrugged. "Maybe that will be the new rumour."

A dejected sigh tore from her. "Don't even joke about that."

For a couple of moments, there was silence and the only sound that filled it was the sound of Sakura's chakra. By now she had cleared a couple of his passageways, picking at the built up chakra and once it was loose, her own chakra enveloped it, causing it to break up further before fading away.

"Are you bothered by those rumours?"

"We both are." she answered him quietly, shifting in her position. "It's not easy, you know? People come up to us, even members of your clan, asking when he plans on proposing. They tell us we'd have adorable children and…"

His eyebrows furrowed at the new tone in her voice. It was clear that she was hurting and even though his eyes were closed, he could guess her expression. "And, what?"

"And I want those things. Not with Sasuke–kun, of course. But one day I want to get married and have children, but with these rumours, everybody is avoiding me like I have the plague. Nobody wants to 'step into Uchiha territory', which is a load of crap!" taking a deep breath, Sakura forced herself to calm down. "Neither Sasuke–kun nor Naruto have ever done anything to sabotage or intimidate any man I've been with, but despite this, only one man has attempted courting me. I just… It makes me feel a little useless, you know? Like I'm not even a woman."

She was surprised when his hand gently cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing away the tear she hadn't known was there. "Don't be upset about such things, Sakura–san. You are very obviously a woman and just the reaction the others had to your arrival tells you that! I know that, one day, you will have those things. Maybe not with who you planned on having them with, but you will be happy nonetheless. I'm sure he would not have it any other way."

A shaky chuckle escaped Sakura. "I'm sorry for burdening you like this."

He smiled at her and because she had recently opened her eyes, she could see the expression. Slowly, as to not offend her, his hand dropped from her cheek. "Not at all, Sakura–san."

"…Thank you, Shisui–san. For listening to me, I mean."

"Any time."

* * *

Healing Shisui's eyes had taken a lot out of her and they weren't even one hundred percent healed, yet! There was still so much work left to do on them, but today, Sakura could only do so much. She still needed to examine Itachi's eyes and then save enough chakra to heal them, too. Stubborn Uchiha! Sakura hoped Itachi knew better than to try and talk her out of healing his eyes like Shisui had tried to.

What the hell was she thinking? If he was anything like Sasuke (and he had even said once that Sasuke _takes after_ him!), then he will try and tell her that it's not necessary.

From what she had learned from Shisui, right now, Itachi was interrogating the leader of the Iwa–nin who had attacked them yesterday. Sasuke was also there, as were Sai and Tenzo. Also, from what she had gathered earlier that day, Naruto was sparring with Lee, which was where Neji had disappeared to after she had examined his eyes. No doubt Tenten was there, too. Damn it! She had wanted something to eat but they're all going to–

What? The other shinobi were going to what? Jump her? She may be low on chakra, but Sakura knew that she had enough to land several decent chakra enhanced punches, should they try anything. She couldn't rely on men to save her from men! That made her look weak and pathetic. What these horny men needed, was a woman to tell them to back the hell off, to remind them of their families back at home. Did they honestly believe that this wouldn't all somehow get back to those women? Not from her, obviously, but she wasn't the only female who was aware of this harassment.

Honestly, Sakura had done what she could to stay out of their way. She had eaten her breakfast with team Gai and Naruto and then gotten straight to examining Neji's and Shisui's eyes. Last night after her shower she had gone straight to bed.

"Sakura–chan!" Izumo greeted her with a grin. "Long time no see."

"How's Tsunade–sama coping without us?"

Inwardly grimacing, she tightened her hold on her food and accepted their offer for her to join them. At least she knew these two wouldn't (hopefully) try something with her. They had known Sakura since she was around thirteen years old. "Horribly." she sighed dramatically. "She misses you both like you wouldn't even believe."

Actually, Tsunade only missed having them there so she could boss them around and force them to do her paperwork, as well as smuggle in some sake. But Shizune had taken notice of what they had been doing and started keeping a closer eye on them both.

"I knew it." Kotetsu sighed with mock sadness. "Our Hokage just cannot live without us, Izumo!"

"I didn't think she would be able to." Izumo added with the same mock sadness. Raising a hand to his chest, he lowered his eyes to the table between them. "If I was with her now, I would hold her and never let her go!"

Sakura blinked. Well, that was a first. Usually these two tried avoiding her as much as possible. "She'd break you in half and you know it!" she laughed. Hopefully, they were in fact only joking about holding Tsunade, because the woman didn't take too kindly to things like that. The only signs of affection she had given Sakura was a pat on the head or a ruffling of the hair, whilst Naruto received a kiss on the forehead. Anything else was just a big no–no to her. "Besides, you guys were always trying to avoid her back in Konoha–"

"Things change, Sakura–chan." Kotetsu told her with a shrug. "Being out here for nearly eight months makes you appreciate the things you had and how easy they were."

Izumo nodded in agreement. "We're not even official jonin! Hell, we never usually leave Konoha unless it's an absolute emergency. Now that I think about it, the longest we've ever been away from home is about two months."

That had been the first thing Sakura had thought of when she heard the two had been sent out. They were not even jonin. Everyone else here was jonin or higher. Even Naruto was a jonin! She felt so sorry for them. Like they had said, they usually sat behind a desk, answering to every one of Tsunade's calls. They were her assistants just as much as Shizune was. Maybe not exactly the same, but to an extent.

They were homesick, she realised sadly.

"Having you here kind of makes us feel better, though. You're like a miniature Tsunade–sama!"

Her left eye twitched.

"Yeah! All you need now are her large br–"

Just as she opened her mouth, about to start screaming at them, a much calmer voice spoke up. "Izumo–san, I don't think neither Hokage–sama nor Haruno–san would appreciate your words."

Izumo paled.

Sakura jumped up on her feet, not caring if she hadn't finished all of her food. "Uchiha–taichou! Are you free?" he nodded once. "I've already examined everyone else. You're next."

"Very well."

The walk to his cabin was silent and to Sakura, it felt awkward. Why was it so much easier speaking to him over letters? Was he feeling just as unsure as she was? They had exchanged only a few letters, but he had already proven two things wrong about those rumours that had been spread about him. First of all, Itachi _was_ human (experienced emotions). Second of all, he _did_ have a sense of humour. It was a little hard to understand and sometimes wasn't all that funny, but it was definitely there.

Now… Now she felt as though she had absolutely nothing to say and as Itachi opened the door to his cabin, holding it for her, Sakura couldn't even deny that she blushed when his eyes met hers. Damn it! Why was she so nervous? Wiping her hands on her pants, inwardly screaming at herself to calm down, she glanced around his cabin. It was larger than the one team seven was currently staying in as well as Shisui and Neji's, but not by much. It was also just as basic.

"Why are you nervous?"

Her eyes snapped to his and suddenly, Sakura felt like Hinata. No words would form on her lips and yet another blush graced her cheeks. Poor Hinata! Was this how she felt all of the time? It had to be the most aggravating feeling ever! And was Itachi seriously smirking down at her? Who the hell did he think he was? It was his fault that she–

"You did not respond to my letter, Sakura–san."

Was it wrong of her to enjoy the way her name sounded when he said it? Oh no. She was turning into those animals outside! It _had_ been a while since she had last been with a man, after all.

"That's because I didn't see the point." Sakura answered eventually, her inner finally taking control and (mentally) beating her ass. Thank God! For a moment there, she had felt very out of character! "However," she smiled brightly, "I _did_ write a reply."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Then where is it?"

"You're not having it."

"Then what was the point in writing it?"

"Because I'm going to give it to you."

Was this how Sasuke felt when he would answer him cryptically? Itachi would admit that he did it partly to annoy his younger brother, as it was always amusing seeing him puff out his cheeks like he used to as a child. It was only him who could get such a response from Sasuke.

Seeing his deadpan, Sakura's smile widened. "Before I leave. I will give you my reply before I leave."

"Is there any particular reason as to why?" he questioned, taking a seat in his chair once he had turned it in a different direction.

Grabbing the other, she lifted and brought it closer to Itachi's, gently placing it in front of him. Then, sighing with mock dejection, she gave him a look of fake sympathy. "It's because you enjoy gossip too much, Itachi–san. One day, if you're not careful, you may end up like my friend, Ino, and we already have one of her. I don't need another."

Much to her surprise, he chuckled. It was a low and throaty sound and for some reason, it was all she could focus on for a second or two. This wouldn't be the first time, though. When she had heard Sasuke, Kakashi and Gaara laugh or chuckle for the first time, or anybody else who was usually so aloof and serious, it had also caused her to stop and listen to the sound, storing it away in her memory. Those were the things she liked to think about the most. If Sakura had an awful feeling in her gut that something had gone wrong, or had a bad dream about them where something had happened, she would remember their laughs and it would soothe her. She would picture them sitting by her side. Not always chuckling, as it would be rather creepy and unusual. But they were happy. She liked to think of them being happy.

"Sakura–san?"

"Sorry." she mumbled with embarrassment and raised her hands. "I got lost in my thoughts for a moment."

"I am sure I have heard that excuse somewhere before." he told her teasingly and even though his features and voice were blank, his eyes were warm with amusement.

It took her a moment to think of where, before her features became angry. "Oi! I didn't steal that off Kakashi–sensei! I'm nothing like that man. He's always late and reads smut! His excuses are terrible, too, whereas mine wasn't even an excuse! I was telling the truth."

Itachi smirked at her frustration. Who knew it would be so easy to wind her up? It seemed all members of team seven were hotheads. No explanation was needed for Uzumaki Naruto. His brother had his moments where he lost his temper and allowed his rage to control him. And now, it seemed the third and final teammate, Haruno Sakura, also had a temper. Itachi had heard of it a few times and had even once seen a screaming Naruto flying high over his head across the village, but had never seen her anger for himself before.

"Do you often get 'lost on the road to life' whilst reading those books, too?"

Her cheeks puffed out, making her nose scrunch up as her eyebrows knitted together over fiery, apple green eyes. There was a faint blush on her cheeks, as though he had caught her out with something.

His eyes widened.

She _had_ read _those_ books! "I never would have guessed you were one for such… erotic novels."

"They're not as bad as people think they are." she muttered quietly, her eyes falling to the ground on her right.

"Of course."

"Have _you_ read them before?"

"No."

"Then you can't insinuate that they're all about sex!" Sakura snapped, but then groaned with annoyance. "Damn it. I'm starting to sound like Kakashi–sensei and here we all thought that _Sasuke–kun_ would be the one to take after him."

Well, that was news to him. Sasuke, taking after Hatake Kakashi? No offence to the older man, but Itachi hoped that _that_ would never happen. For starters, it would mean all of his teammates were dead, one by his own hand (although not purposely), he would join ANBU and become known as the 'Cold Blooded Killer', develop an obsession for Jiraiya's smutty books, and–

Need Itachi really go on with the list? It wasn't that he didn't admire the Copy–Nin, because he did. Kakashi had been his first ANBU captain, so had his respect.

Sighing, Itachi glanced down at her. "Perhaps we should change the subject, for fear of you suddenly donning a mask and your hair turning–"

"Don't you dare!" she looked absolutely horrified at the thought of having grey hair.

* * *

Itachi's eyes were no better than Shisui's, but the latter's were definitely worse. It seemed they relied mostly on Shisui's, for only he could use the mind controlling jutsu, _Kotoamatsukami_. Sakura still wasn't entirely sure how that worked, but felt as though she would be asking too much if she asked him to explain it to her.

As she healed his eyes, a more relaxed conversation had gone on during the entire session until Sakura had grown too tired to continue. When he noticed, Itachi had offered to escort her to dinner, much to her delight. If anybody could keep the other men away, it would definitely be Uchiha Itachi! And whilst he went to collect their dinner, Sakura took a quick shower after finding Tenten and asking her to watch over again.

On her way back to Itachi's cabin, however, something happened that had her finally snapping.

Whilst walking by the camp fire that was once again filled with shinobi, she noticed how they were all staring at her much more heatedly than before. No doubt it was because she was fresh from her shower. The looks, Sakura could somewhat deal with. What she couldn't deal with was the hand that shot out and grabbed her ass. Even Tenten had seemed stunned, as they had never done that to her before. But then again she was engaged to Hyuuga Neji.

It was safe to say that that man would not be waking for a few hours after she had used _him_ to break her latest record. Unfortunately, due to many, many trees being in the way, he didn't go too far.

"I'm a woman, not a piece of meat!" she yelled at the men before her.

"Sakura–chan, relax–"

"No!" Sakura snapped, interrupting Naruto, who was sat beside Lee. The two of them seemed just as stunned by what had happened. "If I don't say this now, then I won't be able to relax for even a second whilst here! I'm surprised Tenten hasn't skewered you all for the way you look at her. Damn it! You all have wives back at home," they all instantly felt guilty, a pained look flitting through their eyes, "and I met your wives, your lovers. They're some of the nicest people I have ever spoken to! And what happens? I turn up here and some of you _hit on me_! You're married, start acting like faithful husbands! If you're really feeling sexually frustrated, then hold onto that feeling." their heads snapped up, eyebrows furrowing in confusion and seeing she had their full attention, Sakura smirked, placing a hand on her hip. "You want to know what us women find _really_ attractive in men? When you build up all of that tension, return home and pin us against a wall, _showing_ us just how much you missed us."

It had been that way between her and Gaara, after all.

"Don't cheat on your wives, because I know they would never forgive any of you. I also know that if you continue allowing that sexual tension to build, the sex you have when returning will be explosive, mind blowing."

They looked at her like she was a God.

And Sakura smiled brightly.

Suddenly, however, all men paled and when she looked over her shoulder, Sakura saw it was because not only Tenzo and Shisui, but also Itachi were standing behind her. They were not pleased, _at all_.

"Tenzo–senpai, please deal with Toshi–senpai when he awakes. I will be informing Hokage–sama of this incident and will be asking for a replacement captain to be sent for his team."

"Yes, sir."

Shisui narrowed his eyes dangerously. "The looks are one thing, but daring to touch a woman who so very obviously does not want to be touched in such a way?"

"Tsunade–sama's apprentice, no less?" Tenzo shook his head as though incredibly disappointed. He was.

Looking down at her, Itachi sighed. "Please forgive Toshi–senpai for his inappropriate behaviour. I can assure you that it will not be happening again."

Folding her arms over her chest haughtily, Sakura smirked. "Oh, I know it won't. Look at them, you guys." they did so and it took a moment to realise none of them were staring at Sakura as heatedly as before. It was not because they were there. "I simply told them the truth."

"You did more than that, Sakura–chan!" Naruto exclaimed as he jumped to his feet. "You scared the shit out of them and then gave them _sex advice_!"

Tenzo blushed.

Shisui smirked.

Itachi deadpanned.

"It wasn't sex advice–"

"You told them to pin their wives against the wall and–"

"Okay, okay!" her eyes were wide with shock, a blush staining her cheeks. Did Naruto really have to make it sound as though she had acted everything out? "I _may_ have told them that they should save all the frustration they were feeling for when they returned to their wives, but nothing else!" then, her features became annoyed. "Why don't you go and check on Sasuke–kun instead of sitting around here doing nothing? I bet you haven't even seen him all day, have you?"

Naruto pouted, but she could see that he was falling for it. "Neither have you, Sakura–chan. You've been too busy with everybody else to spend time with us!"

Oh. Right in the feelings. Grimacing for a second, Sakura groaned with annoyance. "Look, I'll eat my dinner with Itachi–san, and _then_ I will come and see you both. Okay?" Naruto grinned and quickly nodded. "Do you want me to read you a bedtime story, too?"

Abruptly, his nodding stopped and he screamed in outrage when those behind him chuckled. "_Ah_! Sakura–chan, you're always so mean to me! I even let it go that you said you're having dinner with that bastard's even more of a bastard brother!" Shisui couldn't help but smirk, much to Itachi's annoyance. "I mean, seriously, why do you want to do that? Eat your dinner with me! I'll make you laugh. I always do! Even _Gaara_ makes you laugh more than Itachi ever could!"

Silence.

Shisui was stunned to see Itachi's emotions as he fiercely held back the glare that was fighting to the surface. It was with that flicker of crimson in his eyes that Shisui knew his friend did not appreciate the comment. There may be no feelings such as love between Itachi and Sakura, but that didn't change the fact that Naruto had said, quite plainly, that another male was better at doing something to Sakura or making her do something. Sure, it had only been about making her laugh, but how had Gaara managed to do that? As a lover, or as a friend?

"How about we both go and see Sasuke together?" he exclaimed excitedly, not noticing the glower that was about to be directed on him. "He makes you laugh more than Itachi, too! At least he can keep going with–"

Before the blond idiot had Itachi lunging forward and attacking him, Shisui patted his shoulder. "Naruto–kun, how about a spar?"

Naruto frowned, glancing up at Shisui suspiciously. "Now? Don't you need to guard the camp?"

"I'm sure Tenzo–san can handle ten minutes whilst I beat you into the ground."

Once again, an outraged look was on Naruto's face as he pointed at Shisui, his finger almost poking the Uchiha in the eye. "Like hell I'd let you do that! I'll kick your ass before you even have the chance."

With that, Naruto spun around and walked off. Well, when Sakura said 'walked off', she really meant that he did that strange walk of his whenever he was feeling incredibly annoyed, or wishing to do something dramatic. Both his elbows and knees were bent and despite the fact that he was walking forward, his walk could have passed for how a crab walked.

Sighing, Shisui nodded once to Itachi and raised his hands, smirking at the younger Uchiha before disappearing.

Not sure how to react about what had just transpired, Sakura looked up at Itachi as the group of men behind her fell into conversation once more with Tenten joining them and Tenzo going over to deal with Toshi. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving! Dinner?"

He nodded once, leading the way back to his cabin.

* * *

"I was once jealous of Ino." Sakura admitted after swallowing a bite of her food.

Glancing over at her from his seat, Itachi couldn't help but ask, "Why?"

She shrugged. Really? Because Ino had always been so brave and confident. Back during the first year of the academy, she had shown more confidence than any of the other girls. Not to mention she had a normal sized forehead. Sakura sighed. Back then, to Sakura, the blonde had everything. Looks, personality, sassiness. She never backed down from a single challenge and had even took on Sakura's bullies until she had been capable of doing so herself. Of course, none of this would ever leave her lips. So Sakura settled for a, "She's confident."

"And are you not?"

"Not as much as Ino is. I'll admit, she does have her moments where she's unsure and there have been a few times where she didn't know if she could do something, but they're rare. I have regrets and second thoughts about quite a lot of things. I'm the type of person who takes a while to come to a decision, change my mind, and then repeat."

"Jealousy is a dangerous emotion." Itachi murmured. "Those who experience jealousy allow it to consume them, meaning it takes away their self–confidence and their ability to grow as a person. Those who have people envying them, become arrogant. They allow others' compliments and jealousy to get to their head."

Sakura narrowed her eyes, looking at Itachi out of the corner of her eyes. There was a playfulness in them, but he could also tell she was serious. "Are you saying I'm consumed by jealousy?"

"Not at all."

"Then what _are_ you saying?"

"I was merely stating facts, Sakura–san. There is no need to be upset by what I say."

She pouted and turned her head away childishly. "I'm not upset."

He smiled softly. "Of course."

"You know, I'm starting to think that you have multiple personalities. That or somebody is just completely delusional." Itachi raised an eyebrow at her, silently telling her to continue. "I don't mean it in an offensive way – quite the opposite, actually. I'm saying that you're nothing like how they say you are. The villagers seem to believe that you're cold, distant and intimidating. I'll admit that you can be quite intimidating and perhaps a little distant, but you're definitely not cold or downright unapproachable!"

There was silence for a moment as Itachi processed what she was trying to tell him. Was she stating that he was acting out of character? "That is because the villagers do not know me as a person, Sakura–san. They are going by what they have heard or seen. They also say that you are vicious and violent, yet also passionate and determined."

Her hand tightened its hold on her chopsticks. "And what do you think?"

Just as he opened his mouth to reply, something cut him off, much to her disappointment.

"_Sakura–chan_!"

At the loud and familiar voice, Sakura growled with annoyance and gave Itachi an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, I'll be just a moment."

"If you don't mind," he told her, standing up at the same time as she did, "I would like to accompany you. Naruto–kun sounds panicked."

Just as they both left his cabin, they came to a stop at the look on Naruto's face. He was pale, his eyes wide with fear and uncertainty. "Sakura–chan!"

"What happened?" Itachi asked.

"I–It's Sasuke!" he quickly blurted out. "He needs you _now_."

And then she was running towards their cabin at a fast pace, just barely missing the group of men, who landed roughly onto the ground when she knocked them out of the way. Sakura could hear them grumbling after her, but also a murmured apology. Itachi was following her! No shock there. Sasuke was his younger brother.

All but ripping the door open, Sakura stepped into the room with Itachi right behind her, but they both froze at the sight before them.

"Sasuke–"

"I can't see." Sasuke's voice was quicker than it usually was, a little panicked. "Sakura. _I can't see_."

* * *

**A/N - Kind of slow this chapter, but it'll get better, I promise!**

**First day of college today and I've already made a few friends! They're so much nicer there than my last college. I don't get my official timetable until Friday, so I'll try to sort something out with updates and when I'll be posting new chapters!**

**I'm really in the mood for meat feast pizza now...**

**HOPE YOU ENJOYED AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! :-)**


	9. Somebody Wants To Meet You

**Chapter 8 – Somebody Wants To Meet You**

His panic had to be serious if he couldn't even sense that Itachi was beside Sakura and Naruto was at her other side. Itachi's eyes widened slightly and he felt his breath leave him, Naruto ran a hand through his hair, his eyes still wide and just as unsure as earlier, whilst Sakura quickly slipped into medic mode, sitting down carefully on Sasuke's bed. He jumped when she reached out for him.

"It's me." she told him gently, trying her best to keep her voice calm. "Breathe calmly, Sasuke–kun. I'm here." he nodded and keeping a hold of his hands, she shifted closer before placing them on her cheeks. "If it helps, you can touch my face. Some say that it _does_ help. You know my features pretty well, right?" again, Sasuke nodded, but Sakura didn't fail to notice the minute tremble in his hands. "Just keep focusing on my movements as much as you can – don't think about anything else. Clear your mind. I'm going to examine your eyes now."

Closing her eyes, Sakura cupped his face, her hands sliding to the sides and soon enough, her chakra began to glow a soft green. What she saw as she examined him made it difficult for Sakura to hold back a wince or grimace, as he was distracting himself by feeling out her features. Just like she had presumed, using his sharingan so soon after his sight returned had damaging effects. She did her best to clear the pathways of chakra, cleaning them the best she could with her own, but the burns were serious and she was low on chakra due to healing the others' eyes.

As she worked, Sasuke busied himself with studying her face, forcing the panic out of himself by tracing her features. If this had been her twelve year old self, Sakura would have–

No. This was way too serious. Not even that version of herself would take advantage or be excited about something like this.

"Naruto." Sasuke snapped after a moment. "Stay still and shut up."

Until that moment, the blond had been pacing and chewing his thumb nail, occasionally letting out a sigh of worry. It was definitely annoying, even Sakura had to admit that. Her eyebrows knitted together.

"Sasuke–kun, I need your brother to help me out a moment. Is that okay?"

He tensed. "…Itachi is here?"

"Yes." Itachi answered, but didn't move forward. "It is my responsibility as not only your superior, but also your older brother, to make sure you are well. As for not sensing my chakra, you will not be able to. Nobody other than those with the byakugan can. My chakra is masked to keep our enemies believing that this is a weakened camp."

In his own way, Itachi was trying to make Sasuke feel better about not being able to sense him. Opening her eyes, she gave him a grateful smile before turning back to the younger Uchiha. "He knows so much more about the sharingan than I do."

Slowly, Sasuke nodded and Itachi approached them, kneeling down at his brother's side. "Can you activate your sharingan, Sasuke?"

He tried, really he did. After a couple of moments though, Sasuke bit the inside of his cheek, his eyebrows mashing together as he shook his head.

"It's activated, Sasuke–kun." Sakura told him softly. "And I think I know what's wrong with your eyes. Naruto, grab my backpack and bring it here. Also, I need you to go to Kakashi–sensei's camp. Ask him for the spare eye drops I created for him a while back. I will create more for him as soon as possible."

"But, Sakura–chan! That camp is over five hours away even if I run at a dead sprint! What if something happens? Why can't you just make the eye–drops?"

Knowing what she was up to, Itachi sighed. "Naruto–kun, Sakura–san does not have the correct supplies or the sterilized working environment she needs to create the eyedrops. The eye is already incredibly sensitive, but the sharingan, or even the byakugan, makes it so much more so. For your teammate and friend, Sakura–san is asking you to help her out. Tell Neji–san, Tenzo–senpai and Sai–san that they are to accompany you."

Naruto nodded quickly, sending Sasuke one last worried glance, before darting through their cabin, handing Sakura her backpack, and then disappearing to the other base camp with Neji, Tenzo and Sai by his side.

"My eyes…?"

Sakura sighed, the green light emitting from her palms slowly fading away. "Again, it's not permanent." his relief was so great that Sasuke couldn't even stop himself from dropping his forehead to her shoulder, muttering a 'thank you' in her ear. "But I'm being serious this time, Sasuke. If you strain your eyes in such a way again, the effects _will_ be permanent. Kakashi–sensei once suffered from this. It's the only reason I knew what was wrong." the youngest Uchiha leaned back, his unfocused eyes directed on her nose. She didn't have the heart to tell him to raise his eyes just a little bit more. "Right now, you've burned your eyes so severely that you can't even feel the pain. It's rare that such a thing happens, but it's not impossible. As you know, Kakashi–sensei's sharingan cannot be deactivated but despite this, he believed at one point it had been because he couldn't feel it or see out of it. Apparently, it felt just like his original eye had, minus the sight."

Glancing down at Sakura, Itachi asked, "When will Sasuke's sight return?"

Even though he was trying his best to hide it, because of how close they were, Sakura could feel how much having Itachi around relaxed Sasuke. She couldn't help but inwardly smile at that. Having an older sibling must be great at times, when they made you feel safe and protected, comforted and reassured. "It's hard to say. The last time it took around a month, give or take a few days. Due to the severity, I'd say this time it could take double the amount, quite possibly triple." suddenly, Sakura was sighing, looking away from Sasuke's features and up into Itachi's. "Feel free to refuse to answer my question, but as a medic, as _Sasuke's_ medic, I need to know this. I know it's personal and impolite to ask, but–"

"Just ask the question, Sakura." Sasuke grunted.

"I know that, in your clan, you choose to marry another Uchiha, which means inbreeding." the hands that had previously slipped from her cheeks and were now holding her own, tensed. "Do you know if there's a chance your mother is related to your father? Even if it's distantly related."

It was obvious the question made them uncomfortable, although it was a hell of a lot harder to notice in Itachi. "Our parents, I'm not sure about, but further back in the family tree, it is a possibility." Itachi answered after a moment. "As you said, it is impolite to ask, so despite our suspicions, neither of us have asked them. It is a possibility, however. As head of the clan only the best of the Uchiha women would do for our father, so it is possible he could be related to our mother, or our grandmother to our grandfather."

Sakura nodded. It didn't surprise her that it made the two brothers uncomfortable. If she found out her parents or grandparents were related in any way, it would also make her uncomfortable. Incest was not unheard of, but it also wasn't something to encourage, either. It could lead to multiple illnesses. "Sasuke–kun, I'm not sure if you remember this, but when we were fifteen years old and I was officially made your medic, I tested you. Remember?" he nodded, his unseeing eyes narrowing a fraction. "I checked you over for abnormalities or illnesses – not only physical ones. Psychological, too." this time, Sasuke shifted uncomfortably. "I found nothing too serious, but that was long before these problems with your eyes began. Perhaps this is an effect from your parents creating you, if they are in fact related. Itachi–san, have you also been checked out?"

Nodding once, a slight frown graced his features as he gazed over at Sasuke before turning back to Sakura. "When Tsunade–sama became Hokage, I was in the hospital for my routine check up. It was she who examined me, for everybody else was busy and she apparently wished to meet me. During the examination, she found a rare illness that had been slowly eating away at my organs and told me that, had she found it any later, it would have killed me."

By her side, since she had turned to face Itachi, Sasuke tensed and she heard his breath leave him. "You're well now, though, right?" she couldn't even deny that she felt worried, that her stomach was twisting uneasily. "Tsunade–shishou healed you."

Itachi gave her a small smile. "Of course. It took several treatments, but she managed to remove all traces of the illness from my body."

"When was this?" Sasuke's voice was strained.

"When I was eighteen."

It felt like she was intruding, badly. "And if she hadn't found the illness?"

There was a sigh as Itachi closed his eyes. "I would have been dead by my twentieth birthday, my twenty–first at the latest if I forcibly prolonged my life with medication."

"Sakura." Sasuke's voice was still strained and it hurt her so much to hear it. "Check him over."

Itachi's eyes snapped open. "Sasuke–"

"No. I don't believe you. I want Sakura to examine you and tell me that you're okay, that you're not going to just drop dead one day. She can't lie to me. She never has and never will be able to. I know I can trust her."

Tears threatened to fill Sakura's eyes and she wasn't the only one to pick up on the slight beg in the younger Uchiha's voice.

"If it will put your mind at rest, fine." Itachi sighed, tilting his head to the side to regard Sakura for a moment. It didn't surprise her that he was uncertain about having her examine him, as apparently, Tsunade was the only one to do so. He had been a little uncomfortable earlier, too. "Sakura–san, I–"

"You can trust me." she told him with a serious look in her eyes despite the smile on her lips.

"Very well."

Shifting closer to him, Sakura placed Sasuke's hand on her knee, feeling the tension in his body increasing when she had been about to let him go completely. That was not uncommon. When people lose their sight, they become dependent on others and feel vulnerable, they feel disorientated. Due to her being someone Sasuke knew for a fact he could trust, she was the person he was seeking that feeling of safety from. Many patients at the hospital had latched onto her before, frightened that, if she left, something bad would happen to them. Most of them were sufferers of post traumatic stress, though. This was most likely so startling for Sasuke because of the fact they weren't in the village. They were incredibly vulnerable at the camp.

Placing her hands over Itachi's chest, she closed her eyes. "Try to relax. Since my chakra is still quite foreign to you, yours is going to try and automatically shove me out, like it tried to earlier."

Not telling her that he already knew that, Itachi calmed his chakra flow and watched as the green glow once again filled the cabin. It was soothing and nothing like Tsunade's chakra, he noticed once again as she pushed her chakra into his body, examining him. Tsunade's chakra often left a bitter feeling and she had reluctantly informed him one time after he had asked about it, that it was because of the amount of sake she drank. Sakura's chakra wasn't like that. He didn't know how to explain it, really.

And then she was extracting it much too soon and Itachi was inwardly startled by the fact his body _missed_ the feeling of her chakra, of her hands on his chest.

Damn hormones.

"There's no illness, Sasuke–kun." she told him gently. "Like Itachi–san told you, Tsunade–sama healed him."

"But you know that it was there."

"I didn't earlier today whilst healing his eyes, but after examining his organs thoroughly just now, yes. As a medic I can tell what's been healed and the repairs that have been done. There's no life threatening illnesses residing in your brother."

There had been tension though. Sakura had felt it right at the last moment. Usually medics could not pick up on such a thing, but she was skilled in perfect chakra control and just as she had began extracting hers, she felt Itachi's trying to drag it back. It had given her a fright at first, she wasn't going to lie. However, to not cause any awkwardness, she decided to just let it drop. He was human, just like the other men who had watched her as though she was a piece of meat. Although Itachi hid it better. It was actually pretty flattering.

He still wasn't happy. It was in the way Sasuke's jaw was clenched and his eyebrows twitching as though trying to mash together. He was trying to keep up his indifferent mask in front of Itachi, even though there was no point in doing such a thing. Itachi did not mind seeing his younger brother's emotions. It told him everything Sasuke would not and helped him understand his brother better.

"What is it, Sasuke?"

It surprised her that Sasuke didn't even seem annoyed that Itachi could tell he was still wanting more information. "Do our parents…?"

"No." he answered after a moment of tense silence. "I was already eighteen by that time and in Konoha, we do not need to consult our parents with things such as doctor's appointments after the age of fourteen. The only people other than Tsunade–sama to know about my illness, are Shizune–san and Shisui. The latter because somebody had to keep a close eye on me to make sure I did not overexert myself between the healing sessions."

"Why didn't you tell me?" his eyebrows _did_ mash together this time.

"Perhaps you would like me to give you some privacy?" Sakura offered quietly.

Itachi shook his head. "That will not be necessary as there is nothing more to discuss. My illness was my own problem, Sasuke. You were just a child at the time so did not need burdening with such a thing."

But that didn't make it any better. Sasuke had always looked up to Itachi. _Always_. No matter what rivalry was between them, no matter how many times Sasuke had cursed his brother in a fit of rage, it was still obvious they cared for each other. They were brothers.

"But–"

"You did not inform me on your psychological exam and how your results were 'nothing too serious', as I recall Sakura–san saying."

"That's different!"

"How?"

Sakura bit her lip, looking warily between them both.

Sasuke did not reply.

"May I ask what your mental illness is?"

This time, Sasuke's head tilted in Sakura's direction, silently telling Itachi to ask _her_, since she was the doctor. Damn it! She hated being the one to explain bad news. No, it wasn't too bad, but it was still kind of serious. "Like you, Itachi–san, Sasuke–kun chose not to inform your parents. He didn't want them to look down on him, even though I told him they wouldn't."

Itachi's eyes narrowed a fraction, obviously not liking that his brother had thought or did think such a thing. "Father may be a cold man at times, Sasuke, but he would never think badly of you for something you cannot help. As for mother, she would only want to help you in any way she could."

Again, Sasuke made no sign of replying, so Sakura continued. "It's nothing too serious, like I said, but there _are_ a few imbalances of chemicals in his brain. The chemicals responsible for controlling the functions of the brain are called neurotransmitters, examples of which include norepinephrine, serotonin and dopamine. If there's an imbalance in the levels of one or more neurotransmitters, it may cause the symptoms of bipolar disorder. The triggers of that certain mental illness are physical, sexual or emotional abuse." once again, Itachi's eyes narrowed, knowing that it was possible his brother had been emotionally abused by their own father, although not to the point of it being so traumatizing that it would cause an illness. "The breakdown of a relationship or the death of a loved one are also triggers.

"So I watched him for a while without telling Sasuke–kun, wanting him to act like he usually did and not feel as though he had to be or act a certain way. As I suspected, he showed multiple signs of trouble controlling his emotions and mood swings, but upon further inspection, no. Sasuke–kun does not have bipolar disorder. Whilst he had a few, he did not show the signs of somebody suffering from it. So I continued with my research, only this time, I told him about it. It took a while for Sasuke–kun to feel comfortable opening up about such things, since he has never been one to talk about feelings and emotions, but eventually he did and it made diagnosing him so much easier, despite that I am no psychiatrist."

"And your diagnostic?"

"There is no diagnostic. Sasuke–kun does not have any serious mental illnesses. Yes, he has problems with controlling his emotions, but that is mostly anger. Sasuke–kun has anger issues, but nothing more."

"And the chemical imbalances?"

Sakura gave him a soft smile. "Nobody is perfect, Itachi–san. Just like nobody is one hundred percent 'okay' or 'sane'. I myself have unbalanced chemicals in my brain–"

Sasuke finally spoke up, a small smirk on his lips. "Everybody knows about _that_."

Watching as she glared at him, Itachi held back a frown. "Knows about what?"

"Her 'inner' self." Sasuke replied. "Completely insane, too. Think of a rabid, screaming Naruto and multiply it by ten with anger."

Her jaw clenched. "Sasuke, I don't care if you can't see right now, if you carry on, I'm going to kick your ass all the way back to Konoha!"

"Since training under Tsunade, her inner–self has been appearing more often as you can probably tell. Sakura had never been as violent until–"

"_Sasuke_!"

"An inner–persona?" Itachi repeated before glancing down at her and Sakura was stunned to see curiosity in his eyes. "Would you mind if I looked?"

Shock was written all over her face from the widening of her eyes to her jaw dropping. "You can read my mind? I thought you said in your letter that you couldn't do that!"

"I cannot read your mind." he assured her. "I can, however, enter it with my sharingan."

Hearing what he meant, Sasuke scowled. "You can't use _Tsukuyomi_ on my teammate, nii–san."

Sakura blanched at just the thought of that happening. _Tsukuyomi_ was a jutsu people spoke about in fear. There were no positive things said about it. It was utterly terrifying and part of the reason why so many people avoided Itachi. They were scared of him, of his sharingan. They didn't trust it.

"It is not only used for battle or interrogation." Itachi told them both. "And it only leaves a devastating effect if I allow it to. The only times people have been psychologically damaged by _Tsukuyomi_, is when I must gather information. All forms of interrogation causes psychological damage."

It _did_ sound intriguing, experiencing one of the most feared jutsu for herself. "And it won't mentally screw me up?"

"Sakura–"

"Not at all."

"I don't like this." Sasuke grumbled.

"You don't have to." Itachi replied smoothly. "If Sakura–san allows this, on the outside, only a second will pass."

She stared up at him with awe. "And inside my head?"

Itachi allowed a smirk to pull at his lips. It wasn't every day that somebody spoke of his most feared jutsu like it was a grand prize. Even whilst he was laid back about it, Shisui was also wary. He knew how badly something like _Tsukuyomi_ could mess with your head and knew not to screw around with it. "As much time as I allow. Seconds, minutes, hours or days."

The biting of her lower lip instantly caught his attention, but Itachi was quick to look back into her eyes and was grateful that she hadn't noticed, too busy staring at the ground uncertainly. "What's the longest you've kept going?" hearing the double meaning to her words, even though she was most likely the only one to hear it, she quickly fixed her sentence. "With _Tsukuyomi_. How long have you kept somebody trapped in your world of _Tsukuyomi_?"

It took everything in him not to smirk more widely, also hearing the double meaning to her words. "Seventy–two hours."

"Okay." she smiled brightly. "Don't keep me there for that long, but I want to try this."

"Sakura–"

"I'll be fine, Sasuke–kun." Sakura told him, giving him a pat on the knee. "I trust your brother."

Something that looked oddly like shock showed on Itachi's features, but she didn't take too much notice, inwardly preparing herself for what was about to come. Already she could feel her inner–persona getting excited about finally having company after being ignored for so long. Over the years, under Tsunade's tutelage, they had been merging more and more often, but there were still times when her inner would rear her unwanted head, yelling and screaming suggestions Sakura did not want to hear.

"You sure you can handle her?" Sakura smirked and hearing her, Sasuke also smirked.

"I am confident that I will be able to."

Sasuke's smirk widened. "Good luck, nii–san."

The time he had seen Sakura's inner–persona had left him disturbed. Twelve year old Sakura was like an angel, a saint, compared to her inner. Her inner was… There were no words to describe her. Sasuke knew that even his brother would be stunned. Perhaps not disturbed like he had been, but it would definitely be something he wouldn't be forgetting any time soon. Shifting his position, Sasuke prepared himself for when Sakura would be released from _Tsukuyomi_, when she would no doubt collapse. There was no denying that his heart was beating incredibly fast, that he was worried for her. _Tsukuyomi_ was used for interrogation and torture, but Sasuke trusted his brother. If he said that there would be no permanent damage…

Well, Sasuke simply hoped he was right.

Glancing at his brother's features a final time, hearing the mockery in his tone, Itachi turned back to Sakura, his sharingan activating and surprising Sakura as it morphed into a pin wheel design, the _Mangekyō_. She leaned closer, admiring the sight, but was soon ripped from reality as Itachi activated his jutsu.

"_Tsukuyomi_."

She gasped as the world shifted, as colours ran until the sky bled red and the ground turned black, leaving Sakura stunned. The clouds appeared to be an even bloodier red than the sky, moving along it quickly and the trees surrounding them were as black as the ground. So this was _Tsukuyomi_. Sakura could understand why it could drive a person insane, why it could cause so much psychological trauma. Just the colours alone were disorientating.

"You will remain here for one hour," a voice spoke although Sakura couldn't tell if it was in her head or surrounding her. Spinning, she tried to find Itachi and sighed with relief when she spotted him only a couple of feet away from her, "unless you wish to stay for longer?"

Sakura shook her head with a nervous chuckle. "An hour is long enough."

"_Sakura_!"

The new voice had her tensing, her eyes widening. It was her inner–persona. And she sounded absolutely pissed. That thought was confirmed when she suddenly appeared before Sakura, grabbing the collar of her shirt roughly and shaking her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Itachi's eyes widen a fraction.

"You left me here alone!" she spat, her grip tightening. "Ignoring me like I'm some kind of annoyance. Cha! I should rip you to pieces right here, _right now_!"

Sakura winced at the loud voice before giving a small smile. "I brought you somebody who wants to meet you. Call him a peace offering."

Inner–Sakura tensed, a slow smirk pulling at her lips. "_Him_? Did you bring me Sasuke–kun again? The last time he visited, he left early and I haven't seen him since, unless I'm looking through _your_ eyes, but that's useless. You don't see him the same way as I do anymore." suddenly, inner's eyes widened and she pulled Sakura closer. "Or is it Gaara–kun? The shock on his face had been hilarious! He thought he was the only one with a voice whispering in his ear, didn't he? We showed him. Ha! And then afterwards, the sex–"

Oh God. The thought of her inner saying anything more made Sakura's cheeks burn with a blush and slap a hand over her mouth, silencing her with a serious look. "You really need to learn to keep your big mouth shut." the smile on Sakura's face may have been friendly, but the look in her eyes was deadly, unforgiving. "This person wanted to meet you himself. Can't you tell already? This isn't my mind."

Rolling her eyes, her inner–self batted away Sakura's hands. "Don't be ridiculous, Sakura. This _is_ our mind. The genjutsu used on us is simply changing how we view things to make it more disorientating. If this wasn't our mind, how would we be driven insane? Fuck, Sakura. You're originally a genjutsu type, but it seems you've been letting your skills slip!"

Being scolded by her inner was humiliating, Sakura thought with annoyance.

"I heard that, you brat!" Inner spat.

Great.

"Show me to our guest." her inner–persona stated arrogantly, waving Sakura off dismissively with her hand.

Sakura gritted her teeth and looked over Inner–Sakura's shoulder, sighing as she met Itachi's eyes. He was stunned, like he didn't even know what to say. "Itachi–san, this is my inner–"

Her words were cut off as her inner all but threw her to the ground, spinning wildly and grinning like a cat as she spotted Itachi. Itachi froze, unsure of what he should do. How did one defend himself against an inner–persona? That tension in his body only increased as Inner–Sakura shot forward and latched herself onto him.

"You're _so_ forgiven, Sakura. This guy is a sex God! Why haven't you ever brought him to me before?" a moan tore from her inner's lips, making Sakura feel absolutely mortified. "_Itachi–kun_. The older brother of Sasuke–kun! Cha. Who cares about Sasuke when you have _this_ guy? No wonder you gave up on Sasuke, Sakura."

Deep breaths. It wasn't possible to kill your inner–persona.

Watching her inner press herself up against Itachi had a darker blush gracing Sakura's cheeks and she sent him an apologetic look when he gazed down at her in stunned silence. There was no emotion on his features, but she could tell Itachi was shocked. None of his fan–girls had ever tried touching him before. Yes, some dared to follow him around the village and tried to talk to him, but never touch. Nobody dared to touch Itachi other than his family and Sakura when she had been healing him.

The face of her inner, despite her colours being inverted, was obviously one of pleasure. That expression only increased as she pressed her cheek against Itachi's, grabbing his hand and putting it on her body. Sakura was certain she was about to have a nosebleed. "Don't crowd Itachi–san like that!" she finally snapped. "He's too polite to tell you to back off!"

Pouting, she ignored Sakura's orders and instead pulled his body flush against hers. "She's just jealous that our roles aren't reversed." Inner–Sakura whispered into Itachi's ear, forcing him to hold back a shiver. "You're in our inappropriate thoughts, after all."

"Sakura–san, this–"

"Don't pay any attention to her." her inner whispered huskily. "She always gets the attention! Now it's my turn."

Sakura felt so bad for Itachi. Not even Ino, who was a genius when it came to the mind, could fight with Inner–Sakura. In fact, during the chunin exams, Ino had lost against Inner–Sakura when she tried to take over Sakura's mind and force her to forfeit. And Sakura had gone and thrown him to her inner like he was a piece of meat.

"Oi, let go of him! You're making us look trashy."

Her inner scoffed. "_Please_. You've done much worse than this. Need I remind you of the time in Gaara–kun's office?"

Yet another heavy blush flooded her face. The memory was a pleasant one, there was no denying that, but she wished her inner would stop bringing such stuff up around Itachi. He was a traditional man and most likely would not appreciate hearing about her sexual endeavours. By now, her inner was in front of Itachi with her arms around his neck and she was currently arching into him.

But then a certain thought hit her.

"Itachi–san, I thought you were in control of _Tsukuyomi_?"

"There are weaknesses in all jutsu, Sakura–san." his voice was even, like there wasn't somebody pressing kisses against his neck. His self–control was amazing. "She is _your_ inner–persona and I am guessing that she is also the reason as to why you are originally a genjutsu type. She has come to your defence, to make sure I do not trap you."

It was the truth, but it still angered her.

Stomping forward, Sakura growled as she grabbed the back of her inner's shirt, throwing her to the ground. "Leave him alone!" she ordered with her annoyance obvious. "Clearly, he's not affected by the way you're touching him! Stop making me look like a whore, damn it."

Her inner also growled, suddenly increasing her size and making both Sakura and Itachi look like bugs compared to her. "_Cha_!" her voice boomed around them and it honestly startled Sakura. This wasn't new to her, as it had also happened to Ino when the blonde tried to get into her mind and take control, but her inner had never turned against _herself_. "Let me have my fun! It's not like you're going to let Itachi–kun fuck us!"

Behind her, Itachi tensed. Sakura couldn't turn around. It would be too mortifying. Oh God. _Holy fucking shit_. Why the hell did she have to scream _that_?

"You're too much of a prude, Sakura!" she continued, glaring down at her angrily.

She took a deep breath. "Itachi–san… Perhaps it would be best to end _Tsukuyomi_ now?"

He nodded.

"Wait–"

They were gone and once more, Inner–Sakura was left alone.

When Sakura suddenly slumped forward, Sasuke quickly caught her, feeling the shift. He couldn't see her expression or Itachi's, but considering the fact it was silent, that Sakura hadn't moved yet, he was guessing she was unconscious. Sighing, Sasuke pulled her backwards so that she was leaning against him. Part of him wondered what exactly had happened. When he had been there, it was safe to say that he had more or less been molested by Sakura's inner–persona. He had tried fighting against her, but the only way to make her stop was to end the genjutsu.

"What happened?" Sasuke asked after a couple of moments.

It surprised him when Sakura chuckled sheepishly. How was she awake? Wait. Was she simply being lazy, or did she need to use him as something to lean on? It had better be the latter otherwise she was about to find herself shoved off his bed and face down on the ground. Listening to her breathing, however, Sasuke guessed she did need him as support, especially when her weight suddenly increased against him.

"She has a pretty big mouth." Sakura told Itachi awkwardly, not meeting his eyes.

"I noticed." his voice wasn't as composed as it usually was, telling them of his surprise. "Is she always–"

"No." she shook her head quickly, but then paused. "Actually, twice. With Sasuke–kun and Gaara. The stuff she told Sasuke–kun had him blushing for weeks!"

And at her words, Sasuke blushed. The things Inner–Sakura had said had been vulgar, crass. It had literally been nothing more than dirty talk and for an entire month, Sasuke hadn't been able to look Sakura in the eye. Add the _petting_ to the words…

"I see." Itachi murmured, sounding thoughtful, yet still surprised. It annoyed Sasuke that he couldn't see his brother's expression. He'd give anything to see the shock!

There was a moment of silence, one that felt incredibly awkward to Sakura. But then her eyes met Itachi's and she couldn't help but blush, looking away quickly. "I'm really sorry about what she did to you. I, uh…" she looked down at her legs, squirming uncomfortably. "And I'm sorry about the stuff she said to you, too."

Sasuke raised his head. Sorry? What had Sakura's inner–persona said and done to Itachi to make her sound so… He couldn't describe Sakura's voice. She had apologised to him after he had the misfortune of meeting her inner, but she hadn't sounded as embarrassed as she did now. Was it because they had known each other quite well by that time?

Deciding to lighten the tension, Sasuke smirked, "Not so confident now, right, nii–san?"

In truth, no, Itachi was not. He was still unable to form coherent thoughts. At least, the male side of him was unable to. The side where he thought of things that were not very appropriate. His mind was not allowing him to forget the way Sakura's inner–self had felt pressed up against him, or the low moan of his name she had breathed into his ear. Yes, it had been her inner–self, but what was she made of? The person Sakura was inside, the person she was denying. Not always, of course, but most of the time, that was what an inner–persona was. But… Would that mean Sakura wanted him?

Shoving those thoughts from his mind, Itachi glanced down at the still–blushing Sakura. "Do not be embarrassed about what she said, Sakura–san."

"But the stuff about–"

"None of it will ever be repeated."

How much trouble could Sakura get into if it was found out that there had actually been a sexual relationship between herself and the Kazekage, that it hadn't only been a rumour? No, it wasn't uncommon for shinobi to sleep together, but they had been in a relationship and she was a Konoha shinobi whilst he was Kazekage. How did he know? Because with each sentence her inner–self had uttered, flashbacks and thoughts came to his mind from her subconscious, since _Tsukuyomi_ was used for interrogation. Those flashbacks had been unwelcome. Itachi did not wish to see the sight of Sabaku no Gaara with Sakura intimately. The worst had been when he had angled their bodies so they could see how they connected, meaning Itachi had also seen. And now those images of Sakura were stuck, burned, into his mind. As was her supposedly '_little kiss_' with Sasuke.

It irked him for some strange reason. Not the fact that she had been with men, but the fact she and Gaara had not loved each other. No, it didn't make him see her badly. It was quite the opposite. Itachi found himself feeling saddened for Sakura. Her thoughts had been depressed. All she had wanted was to feel loved and accepted, happy. Yes, she had been happy and felt accepted, but Sakura had foolishly believed that, over time, she and Gaara would fall in love and be together. It was so wrong of her to think that way, though! Sex did not create feelings that were not there. At least, not love. Yes, Sakura felt something for Gaara, but it wasn't love.

And now Itachi also felt like he knew way too much about her. He wasn't sure if Sakura was even aware of how much he now knew and it felt like he was invading. But surely she had known that _Tsukuyomi_ was an interrogation type of genjutsu? It put him in complete control of her mind.

He had felt everything Sakura had as though they were his own feelings, but whilst he wasn't too sure on just how much he had learned, Itachi also enjoyed knowing her just that little bit better. Of course he still didn't know much, but he knew of her past relationships. That was a side he never knew he would see, at least not so early into their friendship. And Itachi also knew that she experienced lust whilst looking at _him_. It explained why she had been so nervous earlier that day.

The way Sakura smiled at him, a small, slightly shaky smile that looked more like a twitch of her lips, told Itachi that yes, she was aware of how much he now knew. It shouldn't have surprised him. Sakura was an intelligent girl, after all.

"…Thanks."

* * *

**A/N - We had to choose an extra class in my college and I chose Japanese! I can now say "My name is Helen" in Japanese, even though I'm certain I sound a little ridiculous. _Watashi wa Helen desu_. Woo. Go me! Oh and there are other Naruto fans there. I AM NOT ALONE. There was a big fan-girling session hahaha, though I don't think I'll be telling any of them about my fanfiction account.**

**Hm. Was there anything else I needed to say? I'm not too sure.**

**OH! For those of you who are waiting for the sequel to _They Never Knew_, which is called _Until It Was Too Late_, I will be posting it at the end of next month, around Halloween. I want to get settled at college before I start posting another story!**

**HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! :-)**


	10. Love, Lust, Faith & Dreams

**Chapter 9 – Love, Lust, Faith & Dreams**

_His hands fell to her hips, dragging her back against his muscular chest. Just when she was about to yell at whoever it was who dared to interrupt her shower, his lips pressed against her ear, his voice low and making her stomach pool with warmth with one simple word, one simple name._

"_Cherry–san."_

_Her legs felt like jelly and no matter how hard Sakura tried to hide how he effected her, she couldn't help but lean back into him. The feeling of his hands moving across her body, caressing her, had her releasing an uneven breath. She couldn't speak. Couldn't move. Hell, she couldn't even think! His warmth enveloped her, bringing her a sense of safety as he held her._

_They stayed that way for a few minutes. Why? Sakura didn't know. Itachi simply stayed still, seeming content with holding her and caressing her. But then one of his strong hands moved upwards, cupping her breast so tenderly that Sakura couldn't help but smile softly. That smile slipped away as her mouth fell open to let out a gasp, however, when his other hand slipped down her body, stroking her with firm fingers._

_Moving her hips backwards, Sakura bit back a moan as she felt Itachi was also naked. That shouldn't have been a surprise considering they were in the shower. But the feeling of his wet body pressed so intimately against her own was so very arousing. That feeling of arousal only increased with the way he continued his ministrations._

_She reached behind her to grasp the back of his head, enjoying the sudden kisses he was littering along her shoulder and neck. Then, when he slipped a finger within her folds, inside of her, Sakura finally let out a quiet moan, her hips rocking in time with the movements of that finger until he added another. Tightening her hold on his hair, her back arched, eyes falling closed at the pleasure Itachi was bringing her._

_At his silent order, she parted her legs further, allowing him easier access. However, she did so distractedly, as the feeling of his erection pressing into her back caught her attention, making Sakura bite her lip. She wanted to feel more of him, more than what he was currently giving her. Was that selfish or greedy? Who cares? This may never happen again._

_It seemed Itachi understood her because he let out a low sounding chuckle, one that had her whimpering. Why did his voice have to sound so damn good? The deepness of it, the tenor, sent shivers up her spine and a shock of pleasure through her entire body. _

"_Patience, Cherry–san." he murmured as he moved his kisses up to her jaw. "Allow me to take my time with you." he then nipped her earlobe. "I want to worship your body, to cherish you. I wish to make you mine." another whimper left her lips and it soon became a moan as he increased the pace of his fingers. "May I?"_

"_Yes." she breathed. "Yours. Make me _yours_."_

* * *

Sakura's eyes shot open.

_What the hell_ had _that_ been about?

In the back of her mind, she heard Inner–Sakura snickering and immediately, she knew the dream was because of her. No doubt she didn't like being ditched the way she had been yesterday. But seriously? She could have come up with something a little steamier than that. Perhaps more than simply being fingered–

Wait, what?

Taking a deep breath, Sakura threw her covers back, sighing at the cold that hit her. It was cooling her body down, which was unfortunately quite hot after that dream.

"Sakura?"

Oh no. "…Yeah?"

"What're you doing?"

He sounded exhausted. Sighing, she got up and moved over to Sasuke's bed. Tenzo had created bed frames for everybody, so they wouldn't have to sleep on the floor. Since this was a guest cabin, however, there were no mattresses as of yet. It wasn't too bad, in all honesty, and they didn't mind. It was simply like a block of wood. No headboard or foot board, either. On their first night in the cabin, they had rolled out their sleeping bags and placed them on top of the blocks of wood. Tenzo had told them that hopefully, new beds would arrive soon in a scroll with the next delivery of letters.

"I can't sleep." she admitted sheepishly, sitting down beside him. Sasuke looked as though he hadn't been asleep all night, even though he was tired. "Can you not sleep either?" he shook his head, deciding to remain laying down. The look on his face, even though Sakura was certain he didn't mean for it to be there, was breaking her heart. He seemed so lost. Clearly he had been brooding before she woke up and hadn't had the chance to reign in those thoughts and emotions. "Sasuke–"

"I'm useless." he told her, his eyebrows knitting together angrily. "Everybody here is doing something and all I can do is lay here like an invalid."

Laying down beside him, Sakura slipped into his sleeping bag and pulled Sasuke to her even though he seemed unsure about the contact. She didn't let go. And a minute later, he was holding her just as tightly, like he couldn't even stop himself. "You're not useless, Sasuke–kun. You will _never_ be useless. Where would I be without you? If it wasn't for you pushing me so hard, I wouldn't be where I am today. If it wasn't for you teasing him constantly, Naruto wouldn't have felt the need to surpass you so badly." he released a shaky breath. "And what about all the times you saved our lives, huh?"

Shifting her position so that she was face to face with him instead of face to neck, Sakura gave him a smile even though he couldn't see it. "Don't call yourself useless, Sasuke–kun. Trust me when I say it gets you absolutely nowhere." she wrapped an arm around his shoulders, holding him against her in a loving embrace. "This isn't permanent. I'm going to make sure that when you next get your sight back, it's definitely not going to leave you again."

He was silent for a moment before nodding. "Sakura?"

"Mm?" her eyes were closed, tiredness washing over her.

"Why were you dreaming about my brother?"

Oh no.

Sakura's eyes snapped open, her breath leaving her like somebody had gone and punched her in the stomach. "Uh…"

His features twisted awkwardly for a moment, telling her that he was uncomfortable. "Are you interested in him that way?"

"I…" she grimaced, letting go of him but taking Sasuke's hand when she felt him tense for a split second, clearly not liking the sudden loss of contact. It was obvious the feeling annoyed him, too, for he scowled to himself. "I've only spoken to Itachi–san a few times, Sasuke–kun. This… You can kind of say it's my inner's way of getting back at me for snatching him away."

"You're blaming your inner–persona for your dirty dreams?"

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "How do you know it was a dirty dream?"

"You were moaning 'make me yours, Itachi' over and over again."

"Oh God." she groaned, her cheeks burning with embarrassment.

To add to her humiliation, Sasuke smirked. "You said that, too."

"Sasuke–kun! This isn't funny."

He chuckled and was grateful that Sakura was now awake. Not only because Sasuke had felt uncomfortable hearing her moan his brother's name, but also because she relaxed him. It was strange. Sakura had never made him feel relaxed until she became his personal medic. That was his own fault, really – why the were so close, he meant. Some considered having another's chakra invading your body as fairly intimate, which was why they often stuck to one medic if it was possible. Sakura had been healing Sasuke for many years now. No, things were not and would never be romantic between them, it was…

Inwardly, Sasuke grimaced. He wasn't sure how to explain their relationship, really. Explaining his and Naruto's was simple – he thought of the idiot as his best friend, possibly even his brother depending on how good his mood was. With Sakura, it was different. He trusted her like he trusted no one else. She told him everything and he would listen to her, knowing that sometimes, that was all Sakura wanted. Somebody to pay attention to her, to listen. Her parents never truly listened to her. It was obvious they loved her dearly, but they never truly saw her, if that made any sense. Sakura was lonely.

"Sakura," Sasuke lowered his voice further when he heard Naruto shift in his bed, mumbling something about ramen, "if anything happens between you and my brother, don't screw around with him."

She frowned and moved her hands away from her face to look at him. Now that her eyes had adjusted to the dark, she could see his features more clearly. It also helped that morning was coming, meaning the sun was due to rise soon. "What?"

"Like with Gaara. My brother isn't one for one–night stands or flings such as those. They're meaningless, meaning he won't waste his time on them. If he's going into something, it's for keeps. You have to understand that. Don't be with him just because." once again, his eyebrows were knitting together. "In the end, it'll only end up hurting the both of you."

Why was he saying these things?

It was like he could read her mind. "Not being able to do anything but lay here makes you think about things. Makes you wonder. Things like that." he gave her a lazy smirk. "Itachi… My mother always says that he's a gentle person, a man wise beyond his years or something of the sort. He's traditional, yet not overwhelming with it. What I'm trying to say is that… even though he _is_ the kind of man who would stop if you needed help, he isn't the kind to pursue relationships or friendships unless he knows they're going somewhere." there was a pause. "Why do you think he has so few friends, Sakura?"

His words made her think. Truly think. She chuckled quietly. "My inner jumped him."

Sasuke also chuckled, his face looking so much younger than it had moments before, making a warm smile pull at her lips. She liked this Sasuke. The one who didn't mind spending time with her or opening up to her. "What did he do?"

"Nothing!" she grinned, pressing a hand to her mouth to try and keep quiet, just in case they woke Naruto up. "It was like he couldn't do anything. Itachi–san looked at me with this expression and it felt like I was dying inside! I didn't know whether to laugh or have a nosebleed or faint from embarrassment."

It had been difficult for the both of them when Naruto had left. Well, perhaps not extremely difficult, but enough so that it brought them closer together. There was no overly cheerful and loud blond bouncing around, making them smile (or in Sasuke's case, reluctantly smirk). In their team, it was like Naruto was the glue. When he left, she and Sasuke had had to cling together just to keep team seven a team (even though he would never admit such a thing if you confronted him about it). Kakashi was rarely around, Naruto was gone. It was just them. They were all they had. So the inevitable happened. They became close friends. And when Sakura got over her crush for him, they grew even closer and Sasuke proved how much he trusted her by asking, demanding, that Sakura become his personal medic.

Then Kakashi started hanging around more and more often. He trained Sasuke whilst she was being trained by Tsunade and the three of them went on missions together. It was a little odd without Naruto around, but they got used to the change. And then their teammate returned, all grown up and even more of an idiot than ever! The glue was back, but as harsh as it sounded, they no longer needed that. They didn't need Naruto to be the glue anymore. They wanted him around as their friend, their family. He was _their_ idiot.

"You know," Sakura said after a couple of minutes of silence, eyeing Sasuke's features, "you've never really spoken about my relationship with Gaara before. Well, you grunted at me and said 'whatever', but tonight's the first time you brought it up."

The scowl on Sasuke's face amused her greatly. "Why do you want my opinion?"

"I don't." she stated simply with a shrug.

"If things had worked out," he sighed with annoyance and Sakura grinned. No matter how distant and cold he tried to act, nowadays, Sakura always got answers out of Sasuke, "you would have left. Moved to Suna. And then there would be no more team seven because you would be gone."

The sincerity of his words caused her to smile softly. People thought Sasuke was some coldhearted man who cared about nothing, but they couldn't be more wrong. You simply had to be persistent and continue to pick at him. If he trusted you, Sasuke would eventually let his guards down. It was all about being patient with him. "Gaara and I both knew deep down that we'd never fall in love with each other, Sasuke–kun."

Gaara had told her one day, when he had been feeling low, that he wasn't sure if they should continue being with one another in such a way any longer. He could sense her feelings, her want to settle down and part of him felt guilty for not being able to give her that. Sabaku no Gaara was a broken man and unfortunately, Sakura had not been the woman to fix the broken pieces of his heart. She had tried. Oh God, Sakura had tried so hard for him, to try and make things work because she hated seeing anybody suffering and over time, he became a dear friend to her, so every time she saw that haunted, broken look in his eyes, it broke her. It felt as though it had been killing her inside. And he had felt guilty for that, for causing her pain.

One time, Gaara had told her that he didn't want children. He didn't want a wife. He didn't want a family. He had his siblings and his people and they were enough for him. That day had been rather emotional for, surprisingly, the both of them. Due to being the vessel for Shukaku, Gaara had awful mood swings and even though he tried not to take them out on her, he had his moments.

"Then why?" he didn't understand. Sakura was a hopeless romantic. She cried at stupid love scenes in stupid romance movies and books. Why would she be in a relationship when she knew it had no future?

Sasuke knew everything about her, but when it came to Sakura's relationships, he kept his distance and allowed her some privacy. It didn't surprise her that he couldn't understand. "We were both lonely. I know… that it sounds trashy and wrong of me to be with him _that way_ because I felt lonely, but… I don't know. I'm not sure how to explain it. It's just… being connected with somebody in such an intimate way took away the loneliness, even if it was for only a short while."

Sometimes, all Sakura needed was a friend to listen to her. Sasuke had always known that about his teammate.

"Sometimes I miss him, you know? The day we decided that it'd be best not to continue our relationship, I was scared. S–Scared," her lower lip trembled, "of feeling lonely again. Having you guys around helps but… no offence, but none of you are the guys I want to pursue a relationship with. You and Naruto are like my brothers and Kakashi–sensei is… Well, do I really need to give an explanation?" Sasuke shook his head, his eyebrows furrowing at the raw pain he could hear so clearly in her voice. "I'm glad I have you three, though. I really don't know where I'd be without you."

Suddenly, a sleeping bag was being laid down behind her, Sasuke's was being opened and somebody else joined them, making Sakura jump in shock and with her, Sasuke tensed.

"Don't feel that way, Sakura–chan." Naruto mumbled sleepily into her ear as he threw his sleeping bag over himself and Sakura, his arms wrapping around her waist. Both she and Sasuke relaxed when he spoke up and she leaned back into his arms. "We're here."

Even though he tensed, Sakura pulled Sasuke towards them, smiling to herself when he gave up with trying to resist and allowed her to hug him whilst Naruto was hugging her.

"You know, if you're really horny, I bet we could–"

"Don't even continue with that sentence, Naruto." Sakura hissed, knowing by the tone of his voice just what he had been about to propose. Sasuke smirked. "No threesomes."

He sighed. "Fine." and then, just as they were about to fall asleep, he whispered with his amusement obvious, "Did you really have a wet dream about Itachi?"

"_Naruto_!"

* * *

They were teasing her.

So many people were teasing her!

First, it had been Shisui, although he had been teasing the entire team when he and Itachi came by early in the morning to check on Sasuke and see how he was doing. Usually, the younger Uchiha would be awake by the time they came to visit, but due to not having any sleep during the night, when he finally fell asleep, he slept like a baby. Literally. When Itachi and Shisui came by, Sasuke had been sleeping in Sakura's arms like a child, with his face pressed into her neck. To add to their embarrassment, Naruto had been right behind her, holding onto Sakura just as tightly with _his_ face buried into her hair, tickling her scalp and neck every time he breathed.

"_We're a close team_." Sakura had whispered sheepishly to them.

It hadn't looked good, she was aware of that. Not all teams shared beds or held each other like they had been doing. But so what? Team seven would never be like other teams. That was what made them so different, so much better! They had strong, unbreakable bonds. In his own way, last night, Sasuke had given his approval for her to pursue a relationship with Itachi. Sakura had no idea why, as Itachi had shown little to no interest in her, but it didn't matter. Itachi was Sasuke's most precious person. If he was giving her his approval, it was not something to take lightly.

Once they had left she had punched Naruto over the head, for his morning 'happiness' was digging into her ass and it wasn't welcome at all. Sasuke had grumbled for them to shut up and be quiet whilst he slept, nuzzling closer to what he had probably thought was his pillow, only to freeze when he felt Sakura's body against his own. His eyes had snapped open, but any feelings he had felt towards their position had been replaced by his revelation.

"Sakura," he had spoken slowly, like he wasn't sure on what to think, "can you check my eyes?"

"Of course." had he even needed to ask?

It surprised her greatly when he had filled her in on the progress, telling her that he could see a difference already. Nothing major, but enough to bring her best friend hope. It was so good seeing that smile. It was a vulnerable smile, one that she knew only people he truly trusted got to see. The healing session the night before had done some good. Already Sasuke could tell the difference between light and dark. He told her it was still disorientating if he kept his eyes open, for everything was incredibly blurred and looked more like fuzzy blobs, but he could now tell when it was light and when it was dark. That was enough to give him hope.

Naruto had whooped loudly, effectively earning him a growl of warning from Sasuke. In response he had grinned sheepishly and ran outside to tell Itachi the news. The older Uchiha had arrived not too long afterwards, filling Sakura in on anything she needed to know about the sharingan.

Once certain that Sasuke's headache was gone, she had given Itachi and Sasuke some privacy so that they could catch up properly. Whilst Itachi had gone to collect their breakfast, however, she had warned the younger Uchiha that if he uttered a single word about that dream she had the night before, he would regret it. Sasuke smirked and grunted his infamous, "hn".

Since then, it had all gone downhill. Well, it wasn't as bad as Sakura made it sound, but being constantly teased by not only her teammates (for her dream the night before) but also Shisui (about the position he had found team seven in this morning) was not pleasant. In fact, it made her angry. So to blow off some steam, Sakura sparred with Lee for a while. It was a nice change. They hadn't sparred together in a while. He was one of very few people who dared to go up against her monstrous strength (he said he enjoyed the challenge). That had only lasted a short while, though. They couldn't go all out here. Base camp four was supposed to be a weakened camp.

"_They're here_!" somebody yelled.

"What are here?" Sakura asked Lee as they made their way back to the camp. The training grounds were about two minutes away from camp if you run, but if you walked, then it was around ten minutes. Really it simply depended on how fast you were.

Lee was silent until he realised what it was. "Letters, Sakura–san. Today must be delivery day."

Don't get Sakura wrong, she loved all versions of Lee for he was a great friend to have and always had her back, but she preferred this version secretly. He was quieter, wasn't as loud. They could talk without everybody who was within a mile hearing them. Sure, there were moments when Lee would get excited and say something enthusiastically, but in moments like these, those were rare to happen. It seemed over the years Lee had picked up on when was best to speak with an 'indoor' voice and when was best to speak with an 'outdoor' voice.

"But I thought they were delivered on the day we arrived? That was like… three days ago, right?"

He nodded. "Tenten once told me that, when Tsunade–sama needs to get into contact with a base camp, she allows those with loved ones here to send anything they may have forgotten to include in their letter." glancing down at her, he added, "It does not happen all too often, but there are occasions when it does."

"I see."

That meant her team would be receiving mattresses today. Sakura was a little grateful for that. Whilst she had been, and still was, okay with using her sleeping bag, she wanted Sasuke to be more comfortable. He would be staying in bed most of the time now as he didn't want to humiliate himself in front of the others. That was partly why Itachi was spending the morning with him. Not only to catch up, but to make sure his younger brother didn't get lonely.

"Aren't you going to see if you got anything, Lee–san?" Sakura asked when she realised he was heading straight for the showers. It was mean of her, but she was kind of glad that he was. Lee had a little bit of a stink following him around. It was from all of his hard training because whilst they couldn't use full strength and go all out, he still pushed himself. Lee merely doubled the amount of push ups or whatever he did.

"No." he told her with a smile. "Nobody knows that this is where Tenten and I are. Neji is already here and Gai–sensei has been placed on the same base camp as Kakashi–sensei."

Poor Kakashi. "Oh. When you're done in the showers, you should come and find me. We can have lunch together, if you want."

His smile grew into a flashy, toothy grin. "Of course! I would be honoured to eat my lunch with you, Sakura–san!"

And he was back to practically yelling right down her ear.

But she was fine with that. It was just who Lee was. "Good! I'll be in my cabin when you're ready."

* * *

After collecting the scrolls with the beds and extra supplies, Sakura made her way to the cabin, knocking twice to let Itachi and Sasuke know that she was there. When she entered, however, Sakura couldn't help but smile at the sight that greeted her. There was a warm look in Itachi's eyes and Sasuke was smirking. No, he was smiling. Sometimes Sakura wished more than anything that she had a brother. Not a sister, because then the brat would be stealing all of her clothes. But a brother would have been nice growing up with. She wouldn't have been as lonely.

Handing the scroll to Itachi to release the seal on it (as he was in charge of base camp four), Sakura took a step back, smiling brightly when three single mattresses appeared along with bed sheets and pillows. _Pillows_! No more stiff necks.

"Here, Sasuke–kun." Sakura took his hand, helping him to his feet before guiding Sasuke out of the way so that he didn't get hit with the mattress. "I'll make your bed first."

He nodded his thanks.

However, once she had turned around to get to work, the mattresses were already on the blocks that were being used as bed frames. Actually now that she thought about it, they looked more like divans. Only, they were made out of wood. "You didn't need to do that, Itachi–san." she smiled politely, grabbing one of the three sheets for Sasuke's bed. "But thank you for your help. I appreciate it."

There was a simple smile in response.

And then he did yet another thing that surprised Sakura.

Itachi helped her make Sasuke's bed and once she guided the younger Uchiha back to his bed, Itachi then went on to help her make the other two, despite Sasuke rolling his eyes and muttering that there was no point in making Naruto's. The way he slept made it pointless. With all his twisting and turning, he pulled at the sheets until most of them were on the ground or at the bottom of his bed.

"Just this once, Sasuke–kun." Sakura told him cheerfully. "After this he can make it himself."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You're in a good mood."

"I am?"

"Yes." he stated. "Why?"

"Is it really so strange for Sakura–san to be in a good mood, Sasuke?" Itachi asked his younger brother as he sat down on the end of Sasuke's bed, watching Sakura out of the corner of his eye. She was moving around the room, putting away other supplies that had been sent for their cabin. There was a nice breeze coming in from the open door, since she had forgotten to close it, but Itachi didn't mind. It was getting a little stuffy in the cabin.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed further, his head tilting in the direction he could hear her coming from. After a minute or so, however, it annoyed him, having to turn his head every couple of seconds so he settled on fixing his gaze in front of him, staring sightlessly down at the bed. His vision had not improved since this morning, but he could still tell that it was light outside if he turned towards the window or opened door.

"No." Sasuke muttered. "But it's unnerving."

Sakura laughed and once certain she had sorted everything out that needed to be done, she smiled brightly. "I'm not sure why, but I like it here. It's different."

It was. Here, she didn't have people approaching her and asking about her relationship status. No, here, Sakura was treated like she was a simple kunoichi. That was all she had ever wanted. For people to respect her. They respected her here! Sure, maybe it had a little something to do with what had happened not too long ago, but still. Sakura had always enjoyed travelling. Call her a gypsy, but she loved the change of scenery. It was partly why she wanted to become a kunoichi in the first place. If she had stayed civilian, Sakura knew her parents would have had her married by now and possibly even pregnant. Whilst she wanted to have a family, she didn't want it to be forced or feel as though she was trapped.

"_Here_?" Sasuke repeated with a scoff. "Why would you like it here? You can't even shower without Tenten having to stand guard."

"I can't help being irresistible, Sasuke–kun!" she sighed jokingly, flopping down on her bed. It wasn't even a second later that she was sitting up. "And they're not so bad now. Yeah, the looks make me a little uneasy, but… I don't know."

"You're restless." Itachi told her. "Most shinobi dislike staying in their village for too long."

"Do you?"

He thought about Sakura's question for a moment, watching both hers and Sasuke's features through his peripheral vision. Whilst she was curious, Sasuke was… anxious? Perhaps it was because his younger brother had grown used to having him around the house, even though the past seven/eight months should have changed that for him. Not only that, but also the other missions Itachi had been on. Sometimes, he was gone for at least a year!

"It is rare that I am actually in Konoha for longer than a week." he murmured after a couple of minutes. "I have mixed feelings. Whilst I enjoy being home, there are moments when I wish I was still away and out of the village."

It made him feel free.

Sakura smiled understandingly. "I'm nearly always stuck in the hospital." she shrugged, her smile slipping away slowly. "So it's nice to get away for a while on a mission."

Sasuke didn't like this conversation. It made his stomach feel strange. Was it because it sounded as though they wanted to leave Konoha? No, they didn't. But they were talking about enjoying being out of the village. There was the rare occasion where Sasuke felt restless, too – but that was the point! Those were rare occasions. Mostly because of Naruto's constant complaining about not going on any missions, so when they do get one, it's like a relief.

"It's so quiet here." Sakura continued. "You'd think, what with it being a base camp filled with shinobi, that it'd be louder."

"Like you said, it is a base camp." he smirked. "We must be prepared and have our guards up at all times."

She rolled her eyes and let out a soft sounding chuckle. "I forgot that guys can't multi–task like us women can."

Both Uchiha men raised an eyebrow, one looking a little annoyed whilst the other was amused. "What has given you the impression that we cannot multi–task?" Itachi questioned, his smirk widening for a moment before it simmered down. "Are you underestimating us?"

Okay, Sasuke didn't like this conversation either. There was a tone he had never heard before to his brother's voice and despite what he had told Sakura earlier that day, he didn't want to hear anything about their (possible) relationship. It sounded as though they were flirting, but because he couldn't see their features, Sasuke couldn't tell if they seriously were flirting or not. Itachi was still sat on the foot of his bed and from what he could tell, his brother was relaxed. There was no tension or annoyance coming from him – then again, Itachi hid his emotions and reactions well. As for Sakura, she was… Oh God. She was feeling playful. Sasuke could tell by the simple feeling in the air. It was like a strange charge. No, he wouldn't say it was that cheesy electricity Sakura sometimes nagged about. It was… He wasn't sure how to explain. Whatever the hell was happening, they were teasing each other and he did not like it.

That's not even bringing up the fact that it was like they were excluding him from the conversation!

"Definitely not." Sakura murmured, leaning back on her elbows and smirking. "I know not to underestimate either of you, I'm simply saying that you can't multi–task. It's a known fact that men are distracted one way or another."

He could barely even hear her as his eyes scanned the length of her long, creamy legs (Itachi was surprised that Sakura dared to wear such a short skirt around them all, considering what had happened not too long ago). To stop too much from being revealed, she had one of her thighs over the other, blocking his view of her most intimate area.

Damn she was such a tease.

Inwardly, Itachi shook his head.

Apparently Sakura was right – men were distracted one way or another. However, he could argue that it had been such a long time since he was last with a woman. It was his body's natural reaction. That could not be helped.

"Anyway," Sakura pushed off the bed until she was sitting up straight, stretching her arms over her head and arching her back, inwardly grinning when she noticed Itachi's eyes lingering on her body. It seemed even the great Uchiha Itachi could feel sexually frustrated every now and again. She stood up and turned her back on the two Uchiha (one staring at her, the other clueless as to how badly she was teasing his older brother), zipping up her flak jacket, "I suppose I should–"

Oh no.

When she cut off from her sentence, Sasuke scowled. "What is it?"

"Uh…" Sakura turned back around and made her way over to the bed with slow movements, "I need your help with something."

* * *

Naruto sighed happily. There was nothing like sitting beside a campfire with your friends after a sparring session, eating ramen! Of course, cup ramen was not as good as Ichiraku's, but whatever. It still tasted good – it simply was not the best.

He was avoiding the cabin for a short while at Sakura's request (order). Apparently, Itachi and Sasuke had a lot of catching up to do or something of the sort. It didn't matter to Naruto, really. If they needed privacy, they could have it. He was happy enough sitting with the others, laughing distractedly at some of the jokes being told over the fire between the other shinobi. On one of his sides were Neji and Tenten, on the other, was Sai and Tenzo.

So into his ramen, Naruto did not notice how the shinobi suddenly stopped everything and tensed, their heads snapping in the direction of team seven's cabin. The door was open, meaning they could hear what was being said if those inside were being loud. For the entire day, the others had merely been tuning out anything that was heard (but since Itachi spoke quietly and Sasuke kept his voice lowered, they didn't need to tune anything out until Sakura entered and left the door open).

"_Harder, Sasuke–kun_!" they all heard her groan with annoyance. "_You need to be a little rougher_."

There was a sound of a grunt. "_I'm going to hurt you if I do_."

Izumo and Kotetsu tugged at their collars, their cheeks burning. Many others copied.

Something made the sound of a thud in the cabin, like something heavy had been dropped, making Naruto pause and lift his head away from his cup ramen, eyes narrowing in confusion. "What's happening?

Somebody covered his mouth, forcing him to shut up. And almost choke on his food.

"_Sasuke–kun_!" she sounded breathless.

Naruto's face flushed red from lack of oxygen and he batted the hand away from his mouth. "They're not having sex." he muttered with disgust, rolling his eyes and turning back to his food. "You're all as bad as ero–sennin!"

But then Sakura released a noise that was a mixture of a grunt, a cry and a gasp all into one.

"_Itachi–san_," she whined, "_will you try and finish–"_

Ramen was suddenly spat out as Naruto coughed almost violently.

"_Of course_." his voice was nothing but a murmur and there was the sound of a bed shifting, of clothing turning this way and that. "_Which way–_"

"_Any_!" Sakura whimpered. "_I feel like I'm about to lose my mind_!"

"What?" Naruto practically yelled, throwing his cup of ramen to the ground and stomping over to the open–doored cabin. "What the hell is going on in here? Are you guys having a–"

He cut himself off.

And then he began laughing. Loudly.

Sasuke was kneeling on his bed, looking rather annoyed whilst Itachi was standing in front of Sakura, his features blank and hers were twisted into a pained grimace. Following the older Uchiha's hands, Naruto blinked in surprise when he saw what their problem was.

Somehow, Sakura had managed to get not only her hair, but also her sweatshirt, caught into the zip of her flak jacket and with every movement, it tugged harshly on her hair.

Clutching his stomach tightly, Naruto continued to laugh, practically trembling with it.

But then something hit him on the head, knocking him back out of the door.

"Shut the hell up, you idiot!" Sakura yelled angrily. "Do you – ow, ow, _ow_! Itachi–san!"

"Forgive me, Sakura–san." he murmured, once more trying to loosen the zip's hold on her hair and sweatshirt, but it was no use. "It seems you will have to cut your hair." noticing the upset look on her face, Itachi gave her a small smile. "Not by much – only an inch or so. How exactly did your hair and sweatshirt get stuck in your zip in the first place?"

She groaned and not long after, she was pouting. "I don't know."

It must have been when she was teasing him.

And Itachi knew that.

Pulling a kunai out of his pouch, he lifted it, about to cut her hair free, but a hand suddenly grabbed his.

"What do you think you're doing?" Naruto demanded, looking startled. "You can't cut Sakura–chan's hair!"

"And why is that?"

"It looks better long!" the blond told him with a surprisingly serious look, ignoring the vicious glare he was now receiving. "Yeah, short hair suits her too, but I like it better long."

Secretly, Sasuke agreed. Longer hair (the way Sakura had it styled) suited her better. "Stop being so dramatic, Naruto." the younger Uchiha rolled his eyes. "Itachi said it'll only be an inch or two."

Shaking his head in a rare show of disbelief, Itachi gently lifted his hand to Sakura's hair, firmly holding it so that it did not slip too much and ending in him taking too much length off. He had no idea how she would react to such a thing. And then he cut it, causing her to release a groan of relief as the harsh tugging finally stopped. It was wordlessly that Itachi evened out the length, but she appreciated it greatly and once done, she had no problem with forcibly tearing her sweatshirt out of the zip. She had spares.

"Just so you all know," Shisui smirked and when they glanced up, they saw him leaning against the doorway, "the entire camp believes that you three," he gestured to Sasuke, Sakura and Itachi, "are having a threesome."

"But Itachi–san and Sasuke–kun are brothers!" Sakura exclaimed in disgust before stomping over to the door and sticking her head out of it, glaring over at the camp fire. "You bunch of perverts!"

Quite a few of them paled.

"Allow them to make their assumptions." Itachi sighed, replacing his kunai. "Sakura–san, what–"

"Here." she smiled, cupping her hands and accepting the hair. Thankfully, he hadn't let it all drop onto the floor as it would be dangerous for Sasuke. "Do you mind using a fire jutsu to burn it?" Shisui blinked in surprise, although the other two members of team seven seemed to understand. He and Itachi did not, however and seeing their shock, Sakura sighed. "I'd rather not leave parts of my DNA lying around, even if it's here."

Understandable.

It took all of three seconds to incinerate the hair in her hands and inwardly, Sakura sighed with relief at the fact her hands were not also burned.

"Itachi, there's a scroll for you from Tsunade–sama."

He nodded once, saying a polite goodbye, before he left with Shisui, leaving team seven by themselves.

Naruto glanced at Sakura and Sasuke. "You know–"

"Don't." Sasuke snapped, cutting the blond off harshly.

He pouted.

* * *

With a sigh, Sakura peeled the clothes from her body, glancing over her shoulder for a moment to make sure that Tenten was keeping watch. It may have been better to cut back on taking so many showers, but she couldn't do that. Maybe it was her medic side, maybe just her womanly side. But Sakura could not go a day without finding some way to wash herself. Even whilst travelling, she always found a way to bathe or at least change her clothes.

Some kunoichi, right?

Naruto once told her that he believed being a shinobi meant you endured. Endured what? Anything life throws at you. Most of the time Sakura could agree. She just had to be clean. It was a simple fact. Even Sasuke agreed with her – Kakashi, too. The latter could go a two or three days without showering, however. She and Sasuke could not. Naruto… It wasn't a surprise he could go a while without cleaning himself. The guy was a pig.

Once completely undressed, Sakura stepped into the shower stall and reached for the start button, but just as she did a noise stopped her.

"Do you hear that?" Sakura asked, quickly moving out of the stall and wrapping her towel around her body.

Glancing over her shoulder at her, Tenten frowned. "Hurry up and shower, Sakura. I can't hear a thing."

Eyebrows knitting together in confusion, she moved back into the shower stall and whilst keeping her towel wrapped around her, reached for the dial once more.

But then she heard it again.

The sound of crying.

A _child_ crying.

Before Tenten could even stop her, Sakura was shoving on her underwear and rushing passed her, towel still wrapped firmly around her as she did so. In response to her urgency, many paused in their movements and watched with narrowed eyes, but with one nod, Itachi, Naruto and Neji quickly followed after her, Tenten only a minute behind them.

"Sakura–chan?" Naruto called, matching her pace with ease. "What's wrong?"

"Can't you hear that?" she demanded angrily, not even feeling the roughness of stones and sticks digging into her bare feet. If there was a child in need of her help, she would give it to them! When silence greeted Sakura, she scowled. "Crying. I can hear a child crying!"

Neji quickly activated his byakugan. "Stop."

Itachi narrowed his eyes and turned his head in the direction of north. "I can hear the child."

Also picking up on the sob, Naruto sniffed the air, stiffening as he did so. "Blood." he mumbled. "Lots of it." she must have looked desperate, because he suddenly darted in a different direction, grabbing her hand and dragging her with him. "This way. Not too far…"

The sight that greeted them shattered Sakura's heart.

Slumped against the base of a large tree, panting for breath and sobbing, was a child who looked no more than eight years old. The ends of her blonde hair were red with her blood, her warm brown eyes hazy and lidded with exhaustion and pain. It was obvious that she had been trying desperately to get up, as there were claw marks in the ground, ones that were deepened when her small fingers went over them again and again as she writhed in agony.

Instantly, Sakura fell to her knees beside the young girl, startling her. "It's okay, I'm a medic." she told her softly. "I'm going to heal you, make you better."

More tears fell from her eyes. "P–Please…"

It broke her heart how so very young she sounded, her child–like voice begging her to help. "Try to relax. My name's Sakura. What's yours?"

"Aiko." she gasped.

"Aiko–chan," Sakura smiled softly, summoning her chakra until her palms were glowing green, "that's a pretty name. It means 'beloved', doesn't it?"

She trembled, a cry of pain escaping her clenched teeth.

"Focus on me, Aiko–chan." Sakura murmured, lifting her left hand and gently cupping the girl's cheek. "Can you count backwards from ten?" she nodded quickly. "Can you do that for me now?"

"T–Ten…" Aiko whimpered.

The chakra in Sakura's palm suddenly changed and instead of only healing Aiko, it was now putting her to sleep and numbing the pain. It would make healing the child so much easier.

"Nine."

Cradling the back of the blonde's head, Sakura leaned forward and lowered her slowly and gently onto the ground.

"…Eight." her voice was now a whisper, her eyes becoming unfocused.

Neji, using his byakugan, searched the area for the ones who had attacked the girl, but found no one. All he could see was a building that had been completely destroyed and was burned to the ground. The others were all on high alert.

"Se…"

And then Aiko was asleep.

There wasn't much she could do out here, so Sakura stopped the bleeding and closed the wounds that were most fatal. It sickened her that there were several of them. Clearly this child was no ordinary child, though, if she lasted as long as she had.

"We need to take her back to camp." she told them.

"Sakura–"

"I'm not leaving her behind." Sakura interrupted Neji as she brushed the blonde hair out of the young girl's eyes. "And I still need to heal her."

Itachi gave her a blank look. "Sakura–san, this is not the type of place to bring a child."

She closed her eyes, never stopping the soothing movement on the girl's face as it seemed to calm her slightly. Even in sleep, Aiko was tense and obviously frightened. "I can't leave her behind. It's my duty as a medic–nin to protect _everyone_ if I can. She won't survive out here alone and she's between our camps and the border, meaning she'll be caught up in the battles."

"And if there is a battle at the base camp? I'll contact Sai and have him–"

"No." Sakura argued, cutting off Tenten. "If we send her now, she'll die. I need to heal her wounds as soon as I can and it will only take two minutes to get back to camp. From there, I will protect her. She can share my food and anything else she may need."

There was a sound of a sigh a moment before Itachi was kneeling down beside her, silently watching the young girl until he turned to Sakura. "She is not a pet. You cannot claim responsibility of a child, especially not out here. You are not the one who is in charge of camp four, Sakura–san. I am. If anything happens, it will come back to me and I cannot risk the lives of many others because of your need to take care of one child."

No matter how hard she tried, there was no denying that Sakura was close to tears. "Itachi–san," her eyes snapped up to his, "Itachi–san, _please_. She's just an innocent little girl caught up in _our_ wars. Look at her! She's no older than eight – just a child. She is _just a child_!"

"What if this is some sort of trap?" Itachi questioned. "How would you feel if this girl turns out to be an Iwa–nin's child–"

"They wouldn't–"

"You do not know what clans do, Sakura–san." his voice was firmer now, much more serious. It made her shut up immediately, for there was also a hard edge to it. That wasn't even bringing up the fact that Neji's eyes hardened, like he was silently agreeing with Itachi. "Many children who are classed as prodigies or geniuses are used this way. What makes this child any different? You cannot tell, putting us all at risk. As your superior I demand that you–"

Closing her eyes, Sakura took a deep breath, once again cutting him off. "Please, Itachi." she whispered, her voice broken. The lack of suffix immediately caught his attention. "You're right, I don't know what happens within clans or to children labelled as prodigies, but what I do know, is that this girl is just a child and she is seriously injured. No parent could inflict such a wound on their child." opening her eyes, she gazed up at him sadly, yet with determination. "If it turns out that she's a spy, or is being used the way you said she could be, I will deal with that myself."

Neji's narrowed eyes narrowed even further. "And how will you do that? We all know you won't kill her."

Even Tenten looked startled at Neji's words. "Neji, you can't seriously expect somebody to kill an innocent child!" the brunette argued in disbelief. "Look at her! She's completely defenceless and terrified."

Sakura kept her eyes locked with Itachi's. "I'll never be able to forgive myself if we don't at least try."

Itachi sighed and stood up. "Naruto–kun, please carry Aiko–chan back to the camp." Sakura quickly climbed to her feet, smiling gratefully at him. "She will be staying with your team, Sakura, meaning that she will be _your_ responsibility. Not Sasuke's and not Naruto–kun's. _Yours_. Is that understood?"

"Understood! Thank you, Itachi. I promise that you won't regret it."

He hoped so, because even though Itachi had told her Aiko was her responsibility, the entire camp was his. If something went wrong, he would have to face the consequences. Not her.

* * *

**A/N - Got my next tattoo booked! This time, it's going on my right wrist and saying 'passion', so when I put my wrists together, it'll say 'passion' and 'love'.**

**Ugh. Got that Wiggle song by Jason Derulo stuck in my head. And it's only like two lines, as well. I just keep repeating over and over again "you know what to do with that big, fat butt. Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle!"**

**HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! :-)**


	11. We Won't Hurt You

**Chapter 10 – We Won't Hurt You**

The next couple of days were long.

As Sakura had expected, Sasuke was not pleased about the new temporary addition to their team, but also as she expected, he said very little about it. It was simply in the way he held himself and the air he gave off.

Aiko had been unconscious for all of the first day whilst Sakura worked on her. Not only healing her but also gathering whatever information she could. The child had fairly large chakra reserves, but she was not skilled in using it, meaning she was either beginning to learn the basics or was from a shinobi background. Also, whoever had attacked her had been trying to kill her, meaning it was definitely not somebody trying to use her as some sort of spy. Sakura had made it just in time to save her.

Thankfully, there was a spare mattress due to Neji and Tenten sharing a bed, so after Tenzo had created another frame, Sakura set up the spare bed for Aiko, grateful that it was close to her own. The young girl, even in sleep, seemed terrified. And during the night Sakura had had to use a genjutsu to calm Aiko's mind, to stop her nightmares.

And then on the second day, Aiko woke up.

She panicked at first, thrashing around and crying out, but Sakura had managed to calm her down after a short while, helping her through breathing exercises that usually worked to calm her patients. Naruto had left when she first woke up to go and get the team (including Aiko) some breakfast, whilst Sasuke sat awkwardly on his bed, unsure of what to do. He was fresh from the shower, his brother having helped him to and from the shower area earlier that morning whilst the rest of the camp were all sleeping.

"Aiko–chan," Sakura spoke softly, brushing the hair out of her eyes, "you're okay. Remember me? My name's Sakura. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

There was careful hope in Aiko's eyes, a desperation that made her insides ache. "W–Who's he?"

Glancing over her shoulder, Sakura asked, "Who? Him?" Aiko nodded. "Oh, he's just my teammate." Sasuke huffed with annoyance. "And I suppose he's one of my best friends. He won't hurt you either, not only because I can be scary when I want to be, but also because he's not a bad guy."

Something about Sasuke seemed to have caught Aiko's attention as she shakily sat up, her body trembling with the effort. "What's wrong with your eyes?"

It didn't surprise either of them. After all, it would be kind of strange to see somebody staring down at the bed, but obviously not seeing what was in front of them. However Sakura knew that the question bothered Sasuke, as he gritted his teeth and scowled at the far wall. "He hurt his eyes, Aiko–chan." she gave the girl a certain look, silently telling her not to continue asking questions and, seeing his reaction, the blonde slowly nodded. "But I'm going to take care of both of you!"

"Why?"

Sakura smiled softly. "I'm a medic, Aiko–chan. It's my duty to protect and heal."

Not too long after her words, Naruto returned with Itachi behind him, the pair of them carrying food.

"Here you go, Aiko–chan!" Naruto exclaimed, handing the girl a tray filled with food whilst Itachi handed a tray to Sasuke. "And here's yours, Sakura–chan!"

When he leaned down, Sakura gripped his face tightly with one hand. "Don't even think about kissing me, Naruto."

Aiko giggled, but those giggles turned into laughter at the sight of Naruto's face. The way Sakura was squeezing it caused his face to look extremely odd. And in response to her laughter, the pink haired woman smiled brightly, looking down at her with warm eyes.

Sasuke inwardly sighed as he sensed Sakura's emotions. That instinct in Sakura, the one that _made_ her want to help everyone, was going to be her downfall. Even though she had no children of her own, she still had a maternal streak and always, _always_, did everything she possibly could to help children, to heal them or even just to see them smile. But then again, that was what made her Sakura. If she didn't have that edge to her, that maternal instinct, she wouldn't care as much as she did. Kakashi had once called her the mother hen of their team, now that Sasuke thought about it. He just hoped Sakura didn't get too attached to Aiko.

"Aiko–chan, after breakfast I want to examine you fully, okay?" the girl paused mid–bite, looking confused. "Don't worry, I've healed the serious wounds, but I thought it best to wait until you wake up before I examine you further."

"She is a child, Sakura. Just get it over with and–"

"Shut up, Sasuke!" Sakura snapped, her eyes narrowing dangerously. Her anger stunned him. It stunned them all. She was like a lioness protecting her cub. It wasn't entirely his fault, though, so Sakura forced herself to calm down. He couldn't see the fear on Aiko's face, couldn't see that she was scared of being examined. "Listen, Aiko–chan. In order to make sure you're one hundred percent healed, I need to examine you fully. How old are you?"

Her hands were shaking. "E–Eleven." their stunned silence must have caught her attention, as her eyes widened. "Did I… Did I do something…?"

"No, no." Sakura told her quietly. "You're just very small for your age, is all. I honestly believed you were only seven or eight when we found you! Now, I'm more determined to fully examine you, Aiko–chan. Yesterday I learned that you're malnourished, meaning you haven't been eating properly or eating enough for a growing girl your age. I promise that I'll take care of you. You can trust me. I simply want your permission before I examine you."

Brown eyes gazed around the room, landing on Sasuke first, then Naruto, then Itachi and finally, Sakura. "Do they have to be here?"

An understanding look flooded Sakura's features. "I'm sorry, but Itachi _does_ have to be here. Whilst we're here, he's in charge of us and we must do everything he says. As for Sasuke–kun, he's on strict bed rest. I can kick Naruto out because he'll only get in the way, anyway."

"Oi!"

Like she had been hoping, Aiko giggled again. "Itachi isn't going to judge you or hurt you, Aiko–chan. He's here so that he can help me. And remember, Sasuke–kun hurt his eyes, so he won't be able to see anything for a short while. And I'm definitely not going to judge you." another understanding smile graced her lips. "Just so you know, I'm small for my age, too. I always have been. And because of that, I've had many of these examinations just to make sure that I'm healthy and at a safe weight for my age."

Aiko's brows wrinkled. "Safe weight?"

"You look a little underweight, Aiko–chan." Sakura murmured, reaching out and carefully placing her hand onto the girl's ribcage. "See this? I shouldn't be able to feel your ribcage like this. Yes, it's normal for it to show when you're breathing in, but not like this. This is not safe weight." gently taking Aiko's hand, she placed it onto the lower half of her ribcage. It wasn't the right way to explain it, but it was simpler for a child to understand. "Now, feel this. You can't feel my ribs as easily as you can feel yours, can you?"

Slowly, she pulled back her hand and shook her head. "So… You're at a safe weight now, Sakura–sama?"

Sakura chuckled. "Just call me Sakura, Aiko–chan. And yes, I am. My team wouldn't have it any other way." she shot a darkening look over to the two men. "…Will you, _boys_?"

Instantly, Naruto paled and gulped loudly. "N–No… Sakura–chan!"

Sasuke merely grunted.

"You'll come to understand our Sasuke–kun." Sakura smirked down at Aiko, who was now staring up at her with wide, awe–filled eyes. "He's not a man of many words. This," she gestured to Itachi, "is Sasuke–kun's older brother, Itachi. He's also not a man of many words. However," Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the however, "they're both men you can trust. I know I'm repeating myself, but I just want you to know that. Nobody here will hurt you."

"That's because they're all scared of you, Sakura–chan." Naruto grumbled.

Her dark look was back. "What was that, Naruto?"

"N–Nothing!"

"Idiot." Sasuke shook his head with annoyance.

Eventually, after eating their breakfast, Aiko agreed to the examination, although asked if Naruto could leave the room. She understood that Itachi had to be there and that Sasuke could not see, but there was no reason for the blond to be there. Naruto didn't mind and went to go and spar with Shisui again, saying with a growl that he had to get the Uchiha back for their last spar. Also, over breakfast, Aiko became much more comfortable with them, opening up a little bit more. Itachi was near–silent, though, watching the young girl out of the corner of his eyes. It aggravated Sakura how closely he was watching her, but she understood that he was thinking of everybody's safety. Sakura was simply grateful that he didn't show how closely he was watching Aiko, how he spoke with her quietly when she spoke to him directly.

"I'll be back in a moment, Aiko–chan." Sakura told her. "I just need to go to the storage cabin and get a few things."

The moment she left, Aiko glanced around her warily, biting her lower lip. Itachi could tell by the look in her eyes that she was nervous. It seemed that, even though Sakura had healed her earlier, she was still afraid. That was no surprise, for the girl had been unconscious whilst being healed, meaning she wouldn't know entirely what to expect.

"I had a friend who couldn't see out of one of his eyes before." Aiko suddenly told Sasuke, placing her hand over her eye until she remembered he couldn't see her. He grunted. "Do they hurt?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because my medic numbed them."

She nodded. "Oh." there was a brief pause before she spoke again, her voice a little nervous. "Is Sakura–sama your medic?"

"Yes."

"Does she heal good?"

"Well, Aiko–chan." Itachi murmured. "It is 'does she heal well', not good."

Aiko pouted as she glanced up at Itachi, her nervousness causing her to ramble. "Why is your hair so long? Has nobody ever cut it for you?" when he merely stared at her blankly, her pout grew more pronounced. "It's longer than mine. And nearly Sakura–sama's too and her hair is _really long_."

Sasuke couldn't help but smirk and even though he couldn't see, he could just imagine the type of look that would be on Itachi's face. That made it more fun, really. Imagining his brother looking pissed off or offended, because knowing him, he wouldn't even show his reaction.

Suddenly her attention was back onto Sasuke. "Why can't you see?"

He sighed. "Why are _you_ so annoying?"

"Sasuke." Itachi chided, going back to looking over his scroll and watching Aiko out of the corner of his eye. "It is not polite to pick on little children."

"I'm not a little kid!" Aiko snapped and glared over at the older Uchiha. It seemed she had already forgotten what Sakura had told her about being small for her age, he noted. "My friend said that I'm a big girl! And a smart one! I bet you couldn't do anything at my age because you're just a boy. A mean, smelly boy with girl hair."

His smirk faltered for a second, his features twitched before Sasuke laughed. Not just a chuckle or a grunt, but an actual laugh. This girl had guts! Nobody had ever dared to talk to Itachi in such a way before. Oh God Sasuke wished he could see his brother's face. "Yeah, nii–san." Sasuke smirked. "I bet–"

"Sakura–sama!"

And once again, they had lost her attention.

She reminded them of Naruto. He had the same attention span.

"Itachi–sama is picking on me!"

Sakura shut the cabin door behind her and raised an eyebrow at Itachi. "You're picking on a child, Itachi?"

"Not at all." he replied smoothly. "Aiko–chan–"

"He called me little!" she pouted.

"And what did you call me in return, Aiko–chan?"

She couldn't help but laugh at Itachi. "What did you call him?"

A blush painted over Aiko's features, but it was Sasuke who replied, sounding incredibly amused. "A mean, smelly boy with girl hair."

It was from knowing Sasuke that Sakura caught the frustrated look that flashed in Itachi's eyes. Apparently he and Sasuke were more alike than either cared to admit and didn't appreciate being mocked. "I like his hair, Aiko–chan." it was Sakura who was pouting this time, even though Itachi could tell that it was a playful one. "Not a lot of men in my village take care of their appearance the way he does."

His eyes narrowed a fraction. "Sakura, are you insinuating that I–"

"Not at all, Itachi." she smirked impishly. "I'm merely saying you take care of your appearance, which is a good thing. You don't have to worry about seeming feminine. Sasuke–kun is just as bad."

Sasuke's smirk faltered. "Sakura–"

"Yeah, I remember one time, back when it was just the two of us on a mission, that he spent nearly as much time as I did in front of the mirror."

His fists clenched and he gritted his teeth. "That was part of the mission. We had to be well–groomed and tidy–looking. If not, then he would have refused to pay."

She sighed and pouted. "I suppose so."

"Mission?" Aiko repeated, her voice going quiet. "You're shinobi?"

Hearing the pain in her voice, the growing fear, had Sakura turning to face the young girl and sitting on the edge of her bed, giving her an understanding look. "We are. And I know that not a lot of people agree with our profession, they think of us as bad people, say we're evil, but that's not the case. Everybody here in this camp is trying to prevent bad things from happening." the fear still had not left her features. "I understand if you feel uncomfortable around us, or if you fear us, but please know, Aiko–chan, I would never hurt you or allow you to be hurt."

Part of Itachi, a part he hadn't even known existed, ached at the beg in Sakura's voice. Why was she trying so hard to protect this child? Why did she look down at Aiko with such warm eyes, yet eyes filled with fear? Not just any fear, but the fear of rejection. Why was Sakura afraid of suddenly being rejected by Aiko?

"Every shinobi has a ninja way." Itachi told Aiko, the words falling from his lips without permission. It was simply too painful hearing Sakura begging the girl to trust her. "Sakura's is to protect her precious people, to save as many people as she can. She is not like other shinobi – she is a medic, a healer. If you cannot trust myself or Sasuke, you can trust her."

Sasuke was stunned to say the least. Unable to think of anything to say, he stayed silent.

"A–And what's yours, Itachi–sama?" Aiko asked quietly, her eyes nervously going from Sakura's to Itachi's. "Your ninja way?"

"Is to do what I must to protect my village and those who are a part of it."

"Sasuke–sama, what–"

"It is the same as my brother's, as Sakura's."

She bit her lip worriedly. "Is Naruto–sama's the same?"

Sakura gave a small, teasing smirk. "Don't let him hear you calling him that, it'll go to his head!" then, she grew serious. "Naruto's ninja way is to not run away and never go back on his word. It's inspired a lot of people, now that I think about it."

Aiko shifted uncomfortably, her eyes falling to the bed. "I–I thought… that shinobi were b–bad people…"

With obvious hesitancy, Sakura moved further onto the bed, but immediately paused when the young girl flinched and instead of pushing any further, she stayed where she was and folded her legs beneath her, keeping her hands on her legs to prove to Aiko that she meant no harm. "Not all shinobi are bad people. Sometimes, they just make bad choices. All of my friends, despite what they do, are not bad people. We do what we have to, to make sure those who live in our village are safe, that they can live in peace and feel safe."

"Your village?"

"Konoha." Sakura said slowly, watching the reaction that played on Aiko's features. Her eyes had widened, but there was thankfully no fear in her eyes. "Right now, we're not on good terms with Iwa, which is why we're out here right now instead of back home. We're out here so that those in our village don't have to worry about a war starting."

It made her chest ache when Aiko's bottom lip began to tremble. "I–Iwa… Iwa–nin… They… T–They killed them…"

There was nothing Sakura wanted more than to grab Aiko and pull her into a comforting embrace, but the girl was still scared, she was still trembling and now, she was crying, too. Sasuke was silent, his eyebrows knitting together and Itachi was just as quiet, although now it was obvious he was no longer suspicious of Aiko. No child could put on such an act and there was no henge to make her seem younger. He would have sensed it immediately. But why had they not heard anything? Why had they not seen or even smelt the fire that had burnt the house to the ground? It just didn't make any sense unless something had gone wrong in the seal around camp. Itachi made a mental note to discuss it with the other captains later.

"Who, Aiko–chan?" she asked softly. "Can you tell us what happened?"

"Mama…" Aiko sobbed loudly. "Papa… They… Iwa–nin… They broke into our home and hurt them. I could hear mama c–crying and screaming… Papa wasn't moving…" she trembled once more. "She yelled at me to run a–and don't stop! I couldn't stop! But they c–caught me… with their weapons. They were laughing and t–then… M–My home… it was gone! And they were laughing. I tried… I tried to fight them, but… I couldn't."

And when the dam broke, when Aiko began wailing with the loss of her family, Sakura couldn't help but move forward and hold her tightly, whispering soft words into her ear, rubbing her back soothingly. Her eyes locked with Itachi's when she looked over Aiko's shoulder and he was stunned by the amount of emotion in them, by her tears. A second later and Sakura was closing her eyes and tightening her hold on the young girl.

"Aiko–chan," she murmured softly when the sobs began to quieten, "please allow me to examine you. I want to make sure you're going to make a full recovery." pulling back, Sakura wiped Aiko's cheeks softly, wiping away the tears. "And when my role here at the camp is over and they no longer need me, I'm going to take you back to Konoha with me."

A hopeful smile pulled at her lips. "W–With you?"

Sakura nodded but quickly added, "If that's what you want."

"Sakura, you can't–"

"Don't, Sasuke–kun." she sighed, glancing over her shoulder at him. "This is my decision. I want to give Aiko–chan whatever I can to make her happy. It's the least she deserves. If I can take care of her, if I can make her feel safe and happy…" Sakura trailed off and turned back to Aiko, giving her a smile. "What do you say?"

Her eyes were bloodshot and her cheeks were tear stained. "I…" she turned her head away, biting her lip. "I don't want to become a shinobi."

Smiling softly, Sakura reached out and cupped Aiko's cheek, turning her face so that she was looking at her. "Then don't be one! There are so many other things that you can do in the village. Right now, however, you're at the age to go to civilian school."

Aiko groaned. "Do I really have to go?"

"Yes!" Sakura grinned. "Until you're sixteen."

Sasuke blinked in surprise. "I didn't know that."

"That is because you never pay attention to civilians, Sasuke." Itachi murmured. "Whilst those at the academy stay there until they are twelve – or in other cases, until they have graduated – it is different for civilians. They stay in school until they are sixteen. No exceptions or early graduation."

The young girl watched Itachi for a moment before glancing up at Sakura. "…Maybe I should just be a shinobi. That way, I don't have to go to boring school!"

Sakura ruffled the girl's hair and stood up, going over to the supplies she had left on the dresser. "School isn't that boring, you know. I actually kind of liked it." noticing Aiko's look of confusion, she shrugged. "I'm from a civilian background, so up until I was of age to enter the academy, I went to civilian school. It's honestly not so bad. Being at the academy was a lot harder." and traumatizing, if she was thinking about those who had bullied her. "Look, we'll let you settle down in the village before making any decisions, okay?"

"You still live at home with your parents."

"Then I'll find my own place, Sasuke–kun."

She had been meaning to anyway, just never found the right time. Now, the time had come.

"And what makes you so sure you can look after a child? You're a kunoichi. Not only that, but you're the Hokage's apprentice, one of the best healers Konoha has. You can't just give all that up." he argued, trying to make her see sense. Sakura had a habit of acting without thinking, acting on impulse and in the end, it nearly always got her hurt. She was an impulsive person. Had she even thought this through? Thought about the stress of bringing a child up? A child that wasn't even her own? Or… Was Sakura doing this because she wanted children? Sasuke knew she wanted children of her own, so was she doing this because of that want? "Sakura–"

"I've thought this through." she replied with a sigh, once more sitting on Aiko's bed. The blonde was watching her silently, watching to see her reaction. "I want to bring up Aiko–chan."

Just as Sasuke was about to say more, Itachi cut him off. "Allow her this, Sasuke. If Sakura wishes to take care of Aiko–chan then it is her choice. She is nineteen years old, meaning she is no longer a child."

"Lay on your back for me, Aiko–chan." Sakura murmured after sending Itachi a grateful smile. Slowly, unsurely, the young girl did so, her eyes a fraction wider than usual as she watched Sakura. She smiled. "Don't worry. Examinations don't hurt. It'll feel a little weird at first, because you'll be able to feel my chakra, but it's not so bad. I've been told my chakra has a comforting feeling to it."

"It tingles." Sasuke grunted, sensing that the kid hadn't calmed in the slightest. "The first time. It almost feels like pins and needles, only not as painful as they can be."

Itachi smirked. He had noticed that, too. Whilst Tsunade's chakra had a bitter feeling to it (due to how much she drank), Sakura's, the first time she had examined and treated him, had felt a little like pins and needles. That was only for the first twenty seconds or so, however. After it felt rather comforting. Her chakra, despite her rather vicious temper, was calm and relaxing. After you got through the pins and needles feeling, of course.

Moving to the side of Aiko, Sakura gave her another smile before summoning her chakra, her palms glowing green, and placing them over her body. She didn't miss the startled, scared look from Aiko, but thankfully the blonde didn't squirm or try to get away. Doing so whilst having chakra invading your body was extremely dangerous, depending on how badly you're injured or what part of the body the medic was working on.

She closed her eyes and concentrated hard. The reason why Sakura had asked permission before fully examining Aiko, was because the young girl had been showing a few signs of being sexually assaulted. Oh God she hoped that wasn't the case! Starting with her chest, Sakura examined Aiko's heart and lungs closely, focusing entirely on them for a moment. The stab wound had been right around that area, had punctured her lung. Well, one of the stab wounds had. Altogether there had been around four or five of them, although a couple were not as serious as the rest. One could barely be counted as a stab wound.

Happy that Aiko was healing well, Sakura smiled to herself and moved upwards, checking for any possible head injuries that she could have missed. There were none. And after going over her spinal chord (despite having done so whilst healing her), Sakura moved back down, becoming more careful and hesitant as she did so. The wound on her side was almost one hundred percent healed, but it would be sore for a while, especially if she had never suffered wounds such as these before. She numbed the pain for Aiko and beneath her, the girl grew more relaxed, letting out a quiet sigh of relief.

Sakura opened her eyes and looked down at Aiko's features. She had closed her eyes, looking as though she could be sleeping. Utterly relaxed. Her eyebrows knitted together. What if she found evidence, found wounds or anything else that showed Aiko had been sexually assaulted? It broke her heart just thinking about it. The girl was only eleven! But some monsters just didn't care how old their victims were.

"Sakura." Itachi murmured when he noticed she had slowly come to a stop in her examination. He knew because her hands had stopped moving and the green glow slowly began to fade. "Continue with your examination."

Biting her bottom lip, she nodded quickly, the glow increasing and her hands moving downwards. And finally, she reached her destination, the place that would show her answers.

There was nothing there.

She couldn't even help but smile brightly, truly happy that Aiko hadn't been abused in such a way, despite showing the signs of something such as that happening. Going over the girl's legs, Sakura healed the bruises and scratches on them as well as the grazes from where she had fallen over, before extracting her chakra, her smile still present.

"You're healthy, Aiko–chan!" Sakura told her. "And you're healing nicely. I'd say one more healing session and you'll feel no pain at all."

Slowly her eyes opened and she blinked up at Sakura, seeming to absorb the news for a few moments before also smiling brightly. "Thank you, Sakura–sama!"

There was no use in telling her not to call her that. Perhaps over time she would grow out of it. "I have one question though." Aiko nodded. "Were your parents shinobi? Or skilled in using their chakra? You have rather large reserves and it seems like you've been learning how to use your chakra."

It was silent for a short while as Aiko stared down at the bed, remembering the things her parents had taught her. "They were retired." she whispered. "Papa couldn't walk anymore. Something happened to his legs. So me and mama took care of him! We took turns going into the forest and hunting or getting firewood."

Which was most likely why her mother had been teaching her to use chakra. The forest was filled with many different creatures and not all were the type to just run away from a hungry child. Some were territorial beasts who were just as hungry. Also, her mother would have had to take into account that there could possibly be shinobi around – rogue–nin, too.

Aiko wiped her eyes before her tears could fall, her blonde eyebrows mashing together. "I tried using what… what mama taught me… to fight the bad guys… b–but they were… they were too strong. They were… They were hurting her and mama wouldn't stop crying. It hurt hearing her in pain. I didn't like… s–seeing them hurt her."

Showing signs of being a victim of sexual assault, only it hadn't been her who was assaulted. It had been her mother. The traumatized, pale look on her features, the wideness of her brown eyes, said it all. And Itachi knew that too. So did Sasuke even though he couldn't see her. They had both gone silent, although the latter's fists had clenched tightly, his teeth gritting, whilst Itachi's eyes narrowed a fraction and he took a deep, calming breath through his nose.

"I will contact Hokage–sama." the older Uchiha stated, standing from his seat. "Sakura, perhaps you should take Aiko–chan to use the showers. It is humid today and a shower will cool her off."

That sounded like a good idea. The young girl looked rather warm and was sweating lightly. They all were.

"What do you say, Aiko–chan?" Sakura asked. "Do you want to take a shower?"

She nodded, attempting to calm herself.

"Sasuke, I will come back in a short while and take you down to the showers."

It aggravated him how he needed help, like he was nothing but a child, but instead of showing his frustration, he instead nodded to his brother. "Later. I just had one."

Which meant when everybody else was asleep. He didn't like using the showers or the bathroom when the others were awake. If he tripped up or something, they would all see it.

Standing, Sakura made her way over to the dresser, going through it for a couple of moments before she picked out a few items. "These won't fit you, but they're clean. Itachi, if you can will you ask Tsunade–shishou to send a few things for Aiko–chan? I'll get her size for you soon." he nodded once and left, going to begin his report. "These are mine and they're probably the closest to your size than anybody else's."

Aiko frowned as she was helped out of bed and to her feet. "Won't you need them, Sakura–sama?"

"No, I'll be fine. I have several others." she told her, folding the clothes over her arm and holding out her hand to Aiko. The blonde took it after only a few seconds of hesitation. "Besides, if I run out of shirts, I'm sure Sasuke–kun or Naruto won't mind sharing theirs with me."

He scoffed. "_You_ wearing _my_ shirts?"

Sakura pouted playfully even though he couldn't see her. "Naruto's always smell like ramen, Sasuke–kun! Would you really put me through that sort of pain?"

"Yes. The last time you 'borrowed' one of my shirts, you never gave it back. And when I saw it in your home, it was stained with makeup and who knows what else."

She rolled her eyes and glanced down at Aiko. "Sasuke–kun is part of this powerful clan and he thinks that because of this, anything with his clan's emblem on, is sacred. Including his shirts."

Aiko giggled, much to his annoyance.

"Come on, then." Sakura told her, guiding her out of the cabin. "We'll be back soon, Sasuke–kun. Try not to miss us too much!"

This time, it was him who rolled his eyes as he grunted.

* * *

**A/N - Sasuke explained in this chapter that Sakura has a habit of acting impulsively, especially when it comes to injured children who need help. It'll be further explained in the next few chapters. I hope you all picked up on something in here, too! If not, you'll just have to wait ;-)**

**I almost forgot it was Wednesday today, which is update day. And since I'm completely up to date with all my coursework and I'm in an extremely good mood...**

**The first chapter of **_Until It Was Too Late_** is going to be posted. In case you've forgotten, it's the sequel to **_They Never Knew_**.**

**HOPE YOU ENJOYED AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! :-)**


	12. Kogane No Hikari

**Chapter 11 – Kogane No Hikari**

It had been one week since Aiko was found, since Sakura had taken her in and healed her.

Some at the base camp welcomed her like she was their little sister, whilst others looked at Sakura with disgust or annoyance – like they were questioning if she was really capable of being a shinobi. Shinobi were not supposed to show emotion, they were not supposed to act sentimentally. And that was how she was acting. By taking Aiko in, by begging Itachi to let her stay and allow her to heal the girl, Sakura was acting sentimentally, emotionally. Shinobi were not supposed to act such a way. They were supposed to be able to control their emotions because otherwise, it could cause them to make a mistake on a mission, which could lead to the whole team dying.

Don't get her wrong, because Sakura knew when to just shove aside her emotions! But how was she supposed to leave behind a child? Rock Lee had told her that she was a medic, but that wasn't the reason as to why she saved Aiko. He told her it was because Sakura was kindhearted. It was because she was a gentle person. And then he began to yell something about youth. As always. However, Sakura had been incredibly grateful for his words, because whilst he was yelling and getting pumped up, he also told her that he was proud of her. Well, he was proud of his "beautiful cherry blossom" as well as something else that she didn't understand completely. It was simply best to go along with it sometimes.

During the past week Tsunade had sent them some items for Aiko as well as a personal letter for Sakura.

_I hope you know what you're doing._

That was all that had been on it. The others had thought she was being scolded, but it was far from it. Tsunade was looking out for her. If something happened to Aiko, especially now that they'd bonded (even though it had only been a week), it would crush her. Tsunade was asking if Sakura knew what she was doing, if she was really risking it. Some bonds were double edged swords.

She hadn't seen much of Itachi in the past week, but he had stopped by every so often to check up on Sasuke. And whilst Sakura was taking care of Sasuke (helping him to the bathroom, healing him, etc.), Naruto would look after Aiko. At first she had been unsure, worried that he'd somehow mess everything up, however after warning him (threatening him with violence), Naruto swore that nothing would happen to the girl. He would protect her.

So now here she was, her hands cupping Sasuke's face as she healed him. Aiko had to leave the room because lately, she had been just as energetic as Naruto and Lee. Sakura had said it many times before, but the eye (definitely the sharingan) was a delicate thing. If she somehow messed up because of her concentration slipping, she could do some serious damage to Sasuke's eyes. And he trusted her to make them better, not worse.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

However, there was a reason as to why she had been avoiding being alone with Sasuke lately. He kept questioning her judgement, asking her the same thing Tsunade had stated.

"Yes." she sighed, closing her eyes and concentrating on healing his. "Sasuke–kun, you've asked me this every day since she got here."

"That's because you're not thinking this through clearly enough. You're allowing your emotions to cloud your judgement." he grunted, eyebrows knitting together for a moment before he awkwardly added, "We're worried that this is only going to hurt you in the end."

This was why she continued to stick around Sasuke, even though his questions annoyed and upset her. He was asking them because he genuinely cared about her. Team seven had always been close. If one of them was hurting, they were all hurting. "I'm not going to get hurt."

He raised an eyebrow. "And you're just going to raise her like she's your own?" when he felt Sakura shrug in response, he scowled. "What if you want your own family one day? A husband? Children of your own? Not a lot of men will raise a kid that's not theirs."

There was a pause and slowly, she opened her eyes, frowning down at her lap. "…I'm fine with that." Sasuke sighed. "Just… Trust me on this, okay? If I ever meet a guy, I'll be one hundred percent sure about him before I have him meet Aiko–chan. The last thing she needs after everything that's happened to her, is being messed around by guys or having a bad example to follow."

"What?"

"I mean that I can't whore around."

Noticing that he was getting angry with her, for his chakra was suddenly spiking, Sakura carefully extracted hers from his eyes and the moment it was gone, his eyes snapped open, glaring viciously at her.

"Who the hell said you're a whore?" Sasuke demanded, his voice a low growl. "You're far from a bad example!"

"Nobody has called me a whore, I'm just saying that I can't act like one. Aiko–chan needs me to be responsible, needs me to act like a mother should."

"And what about team seven?"

Her frown returned, deepening. What about team seven? "You're all grown men, Sasuke–kun." she replied slowly, carefully. And in response Sasuke's anger grew. "I'll still be a part of team seven, I just won't be going on as many missions as I used to." then, something occurred to her, making her eyes widen. "Sasuke–kun, you're–"

But he cut her off, his anger too much. "Don't try changing the subject!" Sasuke snapped at her, catching her wrist when her hand raised to his face, even though she had only been about to cup his cheek. "You're abandoning our team for a kid you don't even know."

"You're _looking_ at me!"

"Of course I'm looking at you, we're–" he cut himself off, his eyes widening. "I'm looking at you."

Sakura smiled brightly, cupping his cheeks in her hands as she watched his pupils dilate, as she watched him _actually focusing on her eyes_. It wasn't long until she was laughing. "You can see!"

Sasuke seemed to be in shock but it wasn't long until he returned her smile with his own stunned one. "Thank you, Sakura."

"_Again._"

He rolled his eyes. "_Again_."

"Want me to go and find your brother, give him the good news?" Sasuke nodded, still amazed by the fact that he could actually see again. "Be back in a few. Try not to look directly into the light, since we don't know how much is healed yet."

And once he nodded, Sakura was darting out of the cabin, running straight over to Itachi's. She forgot all about her manners as she burst into the cabin, grinning brightly.

That grin faltered and faded away as she saw she had interrupted him whilst he was getting changed.

"Sakura?"

"Uh…"

He pulled his shirt over his head, sighing. After interrogating the men they had captured not too long ago, he had had to get changed. That was what he didn't like about interrogating the captives physically. Not only because he was often covered in blood afterwards, but because it was just… so unnecessarily messy. But Sakura had told him to lay off of using his Mangekyō for a while, just for the duration of the healing sessions. Once she was completely done with his eyes, he could use his Mangekyō once more. It was the same for Shisui.

"Is something wrong, Sakura?"

She quickly shook her head, forcing the image of his toned body out of her head. Inner–Sakura was currently fan–girling and suggesting very… inappropriate ideas. "There's something you should see." Sakura told him, her bright smile returning and stunning him for a moment. "It's about Sasuke–kun!"

Once he had finished getting dressed (with Sakura looking away, much to Inner–Sakura's horror) they both left his cabin and headed back to team seven's. And she felt so very proud of herself and Sasuke when they returned, when Itachi appeared to be stunned as Sasuke glanced up at him and smirked.

"His eyes are completely healed?" Itachi asked Sakura.

Biting her lip, she moved back over to Sasuke and sat on the edge of his bed, watching his eyes for a moment until she spoke. "He's not to activate his sharingan for a while." she shot the younger Uchiha a deadly look. "I'm being serious here, Sasuke. Don't activate your sharingan until I've done more research, until we know for sure that I can prevent this from happening again."

He seemed annoyed by the demand, though nodded in agreement anyway.

"How much can you see, Sasuke?"

Looking up at his brother, Sasuke tilted his head to the side, squinting for a moment. "The edges of my sight are still blurry and I can't see long distance." noticing Sakura frown, he rolled his eyes. "I can see, Sakura. That's all that matters right now. Don't you remember? You said it could take months to heal my eyes this time, but they're healing much more quickly than the last time."

She smirked up at him. "That's because I'm a genius."

"More like persistent. And annoying."

Her smirk slipped away for an angry scowl, but quickly changed into a pout.

His eyes narrowed. "Don't even try it."

"But, Sasuke–kun, all I've ever done is try to–"

"No."

Itachi had to hold back a chuckle. "What is it?"

"She's trying to guilt trip me." the younger Uchiha grunted, sending one last glare over at Sakura before glancing in the direction of Itachi's voice. Like he had stated, he couldn't see long distance. Sasuke could tell where Itachi was standing, but he couldn't make out any details or features. All of those things were blurred to him. "It never works, though."

"It does." she argued, grinning up at Itachi. "Last time he bought me lunch as well as a new pouch for my weapons. Oh! And there was that time you bought me a kimono, using the excuse that I didn't know how to dress formally."

That surprised him greatly.

"It was your birthday."

Oh, perhaps it wasn't too surprising then.

"And you forgot!"

"I didn't forget."

Sakura stood up and gave him a blank look, placing her hands on her hips as she did so but instead of backing down, Sasuke narrowed his eyes a fraction. Was it strange for Itachi to be intrigued by their banter? He had never seen friends acting in such a way before. No, actually, he had, but he had never stuck around long enough to see what happened in the end. Now, seeing his brother acting so carefree, biting back his smirk, made him feel happy. Whilst growing up, that was all Itachi had wanted. For Sasuke to be happy and grow up to be his own person.

The hands on her hips clenched into fists and Sakura's stance changed, becoming more defensive by the moment. Itachi looked between them both. This could end in one of two ways. The first being they laugh it off. The second being that one of them went too far, said something completely out of line and they end up falling out. He wondered who would go in which direction. Due to him being who he was, Itachi had never really bantered with anyone before. Yes, he and Shisui joked around and could have a laugh, but in all honesty they were much too serious.

"Admit that you forgot!"

"I didn't forget." Sasuke repeated with a smirk, one that had Sakura growling with annoyance.

Was Sasuke purposely trying to anger her? Anybody else would have called him insane or a fool! So many people tried to avoid angering Haruno Sakura, who was very much like a miniature Tsunade – easily angered and preferred to speak with her fists. However, considering how Sakura seemed to be holding herself back, Itachi was willing to bet that she would never dare to hit Sasuke. Or was that because he was in the room? No. He doubted that. After all, if his younger brother was asking for it, then he would allow Sakura to punch him. Perhaps not with too much chakra, for he didn't want his brother to die, but just enough to silence him.

Itachi thought back to all the times he had either heard of her anger or witnessed it for himself. There weren't many flashbacks, but there were enough to make him believe that Sasuke had a death wish. Had it been Uzumaki Naruto in his place, the blond would have been gulping and paling, trying to fix the damage he had caused before being sent flying by a monstrously powerful punch from those deceptively small fists. Had Itachi and Sakura met under different circumstances, as enemies, he would have probably underestimated her and then regretted it.

During her training with Tsunade, when she had sparred against Sasuke, he would return home covered in bruises and limping. The first time it had happened, there was no denying that they had all been in a state of shock, wondering just what on earth happened to Sasuke. He had merely grunted something along the lines of, "_don't ever let her hit you_" and then collapsed onto the kitchen table.

Sakura probably didn't know this, but she had earned his family's respect that day. Previously, they all knew that her teammates risked their lives saving her, they all knew about how she was the weakest on the team. And then all of a sudden, Sasuke was returning home and collapsing from a sparring session with Sakura. That meant she had been gaining in speed as well as strength.

That only made keeping Sasuke from following Orochimaru that much harder, though. Yes he was glad that Sakura was growing stronger – proud of her, too – but it still got to him that the weakest member of team seven was actually catching up to him, whilst he made barely any progress in his training at all. So Itachi had gone to Shisui, who had then contacted a certain former student of Orochimaru's. They had had to persuade her to teach him, but Mitarashi Anko had eventually agreed, not wanting somebody else's life to be ruined by the snake. About half a year later, when he had finally mastered his Mangekyō, Itachi extracted the cursed seal from his brother and sealed it away.

"If you didn't forget, then why did you look surprised when Kakashi–sensei wished me happy birthday and _you didn't_?"

"Because I didn't think he would actually turn up."

Oh, that was low, Itachi thought, glancing over at Sakura. They all knew that Hatake Kakashi had not paid her enough attention whilst being her sensei, choosing to instead work with Sasuke or Naruto. She stiffened, her features twisting for a moment and it seemed with that single look, that pained look, Sasuke realised he had gone too far.

"Sakura–"

"It's fine – you're right. It _was_ surprising that he even remembered." she smiled, heading over to the door. "I should probably go and find Aiko–chan before Naruto has her addicted to ramen."

Sasuke sighed as the door shut, glaring after her for a moment before turning to face Itachi. "Would you…" he paused, averting his eyes and scowling, "Will you go after her?"

Standing up straight from his position of leaning against the wall, Itachi raised an eyebrow. "It may be best to leave her for a while, Sasuke. What you said was unnecessarily harsh."

"I know my teammate, nii–san." he muttered. "She might run off somewhere to be by herself, but being alone is the last thing she wants."

"Very well." Itachi sighed, making his way over to the door. "However, since you have your sight back, can you not follow her yourself?"

"No."

She'd kill him.

Okay, maybe not kill, but Sakura would definitely inflict pain on him, heal him and then depending on how badly she was hurting on the inside, she would do it again and again until she didn't have any chakra left. That was how they communicated sometimes – through sparring. There was simply something about tiring yourself out whilst fighting with someone that made you open up to them. Even in his head, that sounded stupid, but that was just how it worked between them. If Sakura couldn't open up to him normally, then she would do it during a sparring session. Right now he couldn't spar, not without activating his sharingan so that he could avoid her chakra enhanced blows. That was what Sasuke had meant about her killing him.

He trusted his older brother not to make the situation worse. Itachi had always had a way with words and if he couldn't find the right words to say, then his presence comforted you instead. It made you feel relaxed, at peace. That was probably when Sasuke was at his calmest. When Itachi was around.

"Itachi," Sasuke spoke up just as his brother opened the door, "if she wants to spar, go easy on her. She's not at your level."

It was nice to know Sasuke cared so much for his teammates, but Itachi couldn't help but frown at his words. "It is not always the strongest who wins in a fight, Sasuke. Remember that."

* * *

When he found Sakura, she was sitting in a field, leaning back on her hands as she stared at the many flowers. Itachi was surprised she had managed to find it, managed to find a place so relaxing and quiet. She didn't sense his chakra as he approached her, but that wasn't too surprising. Like he had told Sasuke not too long ago, on the night he had lost his sight, only a Hyuuga could find him. It was to make the camp appear to be weakened.

However just as he was about to sit down beside her, something happened and suddenly Itachi was struck by a feeling similar to déjà vu as Sakura glanced up at him from beneath her lashes.

* * *

_The child would not stop sniffling. Oh, she had stopped crying enough to force out her first name, but now her nose continued to run and because of that, she was sniffing loudly every couple of seconds. Itachi was not one to easily lose his patience, or to grow annoyed with somebody, but this girl…_

_It was just that noise!_

"_You are going to give yourself a headache, Sakura–chan."_

_Another sniff. "I–I'm sorry."_

_It took a lot to hold back the slight twitching of his eyes. His annoyance was growing. Why would she not allow him to return her to the festival, to her parents? "You have nothing to be sorry about, since it is you who will have to suffer through the headache."_

"_I don't have any tissues." another sniff. "And mama will shout if I use my sleeve."_

_Okay, perhaps he could let the sniffing slide if it meant she would not use her own clothing to blow her nose on. "What are your parents' names?"_

"_Mama and papa."_

_Right. Sakura looked no older than five, possibly six – around the same age as his brother, in fact. Of course her parents would be 'mama' and 'papa' to her. It would be odd if she called them by their first names. Then again, Itachi had always known his parents' names. Sasuke did, too. "You are a civilian." she nodded. It would explain her small chakra reserves and how she definitely wasn't being brought up to be a shinobi. "What is your last name?"_

_It seemed she was trying to control her sniffling by doing it as discreetly as possible. Itachi had to hold back a smile. The child truly was a civilian, because she'd otherwise know that certain shinobi had impeccable hearing – himself included. No matter how quietly she was sniffling, he would hear it. He'd give her credit, though. Pretending to sniff flowers when she was really doing something else was quite a smart thing to do._

"_Haruno."_

_He knew exactly who she was. As an ANBU operative, it was his duty to know everybody within the walls of the village. Even civilians and retired shinobi. Haruno Sakura was the only child of Haruno Kizashi and Mebuki __– the former being a retired shinobi who now worked as a civilian with his civilian wife__. Itachi wasn't sure as to why it hadn't clicked sooner. She was the only one in the village with pink hair (other than her father, though his had dulled and didn't have the same shine as hers did, wasn't the same pastel shade). Hell, she was the only female in the village named Sakura!_

_Her name suited her well. Eyes as stunning as the springtime leaves or grass, yet somehow even lighter and more mesmerizing (and seeming much brighter due to her previous tears). Hair more or less the exact same shade as a cherry blossom, standing out and demanding everybody to pause and take in its beauty. Itachi watched her for a moment, watched how she held herself as she leaned over the flowers and carefully selected which ones to pick. One day, Haruno Sakura was going to be a beautiful woman, who would, like her namesake, demand every man's attention – perhaps even women's, too._

"_Itachi–san," a small voice spoke up, bringing him out of his thoughts and Itachi was somewhat surprised to find Sakura standing in front of him. Due to him being sat down, they were just about eye level. If she stood on her tiptoes, she would be taller then him, "these are for you!"_

"_Thank you, Sakura–chan." he murmured, accepting the flowers without a second thought. Why had she picked them for him?_

_And then he felt lips pressing to his forehead and his eyes widened._

"_Thank you for looking after me. I don't like the loud bangs."_

_The girl had guts, he would give her that. Nobody had ever dared to invade his personal space before. Not even his parents. Even Sasuke knew better than to do such a thing unless he was feeling especially clingy. When Sakura pulled back, she gave him a shy smile to go with the blush on her cheeks, one he couldn't help but return with a small one of his own._

_Innocent. She was so pure and innocent._

_Itachi gave her more of a reassuring, genuine smile, patting the space beside him. "The fireworks are not so bad and they won't be as loud here, either. You can watch them with me, if you wish."_

_And then she gave him one of the brightest smiles he had ever seen before._

* * *

He smiled at the memory, taking his seat beside Sakura, who watched him questioningly.

"Not that it's not a nice smile, but why exactly are you smiling?"

"I was just remembering the last time I met you in a field." Itachi told her, glancing at her surprised expression. "You were only a child. I believe we discussed it in our letters?"

Recognition flitted over her features. "We did! I could remember that somebody took care of me that night, but I couldn't remember who it was." she smiled sheepishly, awkwardly. "Sorry."

"You were just a child." he stated simply.

There was a pause as she changed from leaning on her hands to leaning on her elbows. "Sasuke–kun sent you after me, didn't he?" Itachi nodded. "You know he did that to avoid being beaten up, right?"

Itachi raised a challenging eyebrow, tilting his head to the side as he regarded her. "Do you really believe it will be so easy to beat me?"

Sakura grinned. "A little arrogant, aren't you? What do you say, then? Want to spar?"

He gave her a smirk. "Perhaps some other time."

Biting her lip, she bit back her smirk. "I never would've thought the great Uchiha Itachi would be scared of sparring with _me_." once more, he was raising an eyebrow at her, like he was questioning if she was seriously saying he was scared. "I always thought that if we sparred, you'd have me beaten to the ground before I even realised it, or at least pinned. But maybe I was wrong?" Sakura shrugged, inwardly grinning when she noticed a flash in his eyes. It seemed even Uchiha Itachi enjoyed challenges and disliked having his strength and power questioned. "Maybe the things the villagers say about you aren't true and really, you rely completely on your eyes?"

And then her world was shifting, spinning and turning. Sakura couldn't tell which way was up and which way was down. All she knew was that not even two seconds later, her front was being slammed into a tree and a hard body was pressing against her back, lips moving to her ear until teeth were grazing her earlobe. She shivered, biting her lip once more.

"You were saying, _Sakura_?"

Inner–Sakura had fainted. She was passed out. Bleeding heavily from the nose. Done for. Oh God Sakura hoped the same didn't happen to her. The feeling of him pushing up against her was awakening the kinkier side of her, a side only one man had ever seen before. "Just because you're fast–" his body was flush against hers now, making her gasp and effectively silencing her. Sakura's hands dug into the tree trunk, leaving indents the size of her hands in the bark.

Itachi smirked when he noticed, when he felt the tension in her body and saw the soft blush sweeping over her cheeks. So she was definitely effected by him. There had been no doubt in his mind, what with all of the glances, the teasing and innocent flirting. Not only that but he also knew because of _Tsukuyomi_. "I think speed definitely counts." Itachi's hold on her wrists changed for a split second as he lifted them higher up the tree, forcing her back to arch.

Her breathing was shaky, uneven. She needed to turn the tables somehow, but Itachi was strong as well as fast – she couldn't move her arms! His weren't even fully straightened, didn't even seem like they were putting much effort into pinning her. And if Sakura used chakra, she could accidentally hurt him. What could she–

A smirk pulled at her lips, one that had Itachi's eyes narrowing.

Only for his eyes to widen a second later when she moved her hips backwards, pushing her ass against him in a slow grind. His hands tightened their hold on her wrists and Itachi quickly put a stop to her movement by using his hips to pin hers. She wanted to play dirty? With him, of all people? His body was a tool for the village, whether it be for battle or for seduction. As far as he was aware of, Haruno Sakura had never been sent on a single seduction mission in her life.

Pulling her hands closer together, Itachi held both wrists with one hand, the other fisting in her hair, turning her head to the side to face his. "You are playing a dangerous game," his lips ghosted over hers, "_Sakura_."

He was genuinely surprised when she moaned, her eyes slipping shut once more but not before he saw the lust building in them. Was this really turning her on? Itachi would admit that it was definitely arousing, but he had thought Sakura was the kind of girl who enjoyed the soft, slow and romantic kind of sex. Not rough and dominating.

But just as he was about to say something, just as Sakura leaned forward and her lips parted, they heard a squeal of laughter and the sound of Naruto yelling.

Itachi was off her in a second, leaving her to feel dazed and confused. And not even a second after being released, she turned to face him and leaned back against the tree, confusion so very obvious on her face.

"What–"

"_Sakura–sama_!"

Oh.

He gave her a smirk. "We will _spar_ some other time."

And with that, he transported back to the base camp.

She took a deep breath, willing her heart to stop beating so fast, willing her breathing to slow as she released a long exhale. Just what the hell had that been?

Maybe she should tease Itachi more often? Sakura wouldn't even deny that she liked the results.

"Sakura–chan, what're you doing out here by yourself?" Naruto asked with a frown, looking in the direction of the camp. "I thought you were healing Sasuke?"

Waving her hand dismissively, Sakura shrugged. "I needed to take a break and get some fresh air. Besides, I've done all I can for now on his eyes."

"And?"

"And he can see again." Naruto's face brightened almost dramatically, making her give him a warning look, since she knew he would want to spar with Sasuke. "Not completely, of course. He can't see long distance and the edges of his sight are completely blurred. There's still more work to be done, but I'm low on chakra right now." If she told him about the comment Sasuke had made, whether it was banter or not, Naruto would be in the cabin and punching him in a second. "Aiko–chan, do want to pick some flowers?"

Once Aiko nodded in agreement, Sakura took her over to the flowers and taught her everything Ino had taught her about flower arrangements.

* * *

"Wow, so you can really see again?" Aiko gasped in surprise, looking up at Sasuke with wide eyes. He grunted. "What colour is my hair?"

Sasuke sighed. "Blonde."

She pouted, glaring up at him from beneath her lashes. "What about my eyes? Sakura–sama could have told you my hair colour."

Her precious _Sakura–sama_, Sasuke thought bitterly, had better hurry the hell up and return to them. His patience was wearing ridiculously thin and whilst he knew he owed her for what he had muttered earlier, this hardly seemed fair. Yes, over the past week or so, Sasuke had learned to tolerate Aiko and the girl could actually be rather pleasant to be around when she wasn't asking question after question, more or less interrogating him, but that wasn't the point.

"Which means she could have told me your eye colour, too."

"Sasuke–sama!" Aiko whined, fisting the bed sheets beneath her.

He sighed. Why did the brat have to sit on _his_ bed? Couldn't she go and sit on her own bed? Away from him? Unfortunately for him, Aiko seemed to be like the 'old Sakura', the one who didn't care about invading peoples' personal space. Thank God that Aiko didn't have a ridiculous, yet terrifying, crush on him. Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he watched her out of the corner of his eye. At least he hoped she didn't. That would be wrong on so many levels. Growing up, he could somewhat handle Sakura's obsessive crush as they were more or less the same age. Aiko was eight, almost nine years younger than him.

Suddenly the sound of rushed footsteps stole their attention as well as the sound of yelling, of orders being given. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and hopped out of bed, going over to the open door and glaring outside. It stung his eyes for a moment, making him squint, but that feeling passed after not too long.

"Sasuke–sama, Sakura–sama said not to look at the light!"

Ignoring Aiko, Sasuke continued to glance around until he somewhat recognised someone. "Sai."

Sai paused in his movements and moved over to the cabin team seven were staying in. "What is it?"

"What's going on?"

"Iwa–nin have been spotted and are heading straight for us. Itachi–taichou believes they are after our captive."

The young girl in the cabin gasped and fell back, having stood up when Sasuke did, landing roughly on her behind. She barely even felt it. "I–Iwa–nin…"

Remembering what had been said, what had happened right in front of her, Sasuke nodded once to Sai, dismissing him, before turning to face the girl. "Stand up, Aiko." on shaking limbs, she did so. "Stay in here. They won't know you're alive unless you reveal yourself to them. Chances are, they won't even be the same shinobi. Just stay out of the battle."

Somebody quickly entered the cabin, but since he knew the chakra well, Sasuke didn't react. "Take your own advice, Sasuke." Sakura told him seriously, going straight over to her supplies and attaching her medical pouch to her hip. "Itachi told me to give you orders – stay in this cabin and protect Aiko–chan."

His upper lip curled with anger. "Are they his orders, or yours?"

"His." she muttered, quickly going through her weapons pouch before adding that to her other hip. "Remember our previous fight with them, Sasuke. They were after something. Until we know what it is, until you're well enough to fight, you can't get involved." Sakura felt his anger spiking, heard him begin to raise his voice, but she swiftly cut him off, turning to look at him with a pleading look. "Please, Sasuke–kun. Don't go out there. Please stay here and protect Aiko–chan for me, protect yourself. I can't lose either of you."

Damn it, he hated it when Sakura brought out those eyes. The pleading ones. The ones that made him feel as though he was a terrible person if he said no. "Where are you fighting, with Naruto?"

Sakura shook her head and smiled gratefully at him, knowing he had accepted his orders. "No, I'm stationed here and he's going to the main battle along with everyone else. If somebody approaches the cabin, I have to stop them from entering." once more, he looked outraged. "Sasuke–kun, your chakra is hardly unrecognisable. I could sense it all the way near the fields earlier, but that could be because of how intune I am with you. Just trust me on this, okay? If I need help, I'll call for you."

"No you won't."

She chose not to answer him and instead glanced down at Aiko, giving her an apologetic smile. "Don't feel scared, Aiko–chan. Sasuke–kun will take care of you."

Aiko shook her head fiercely, tears filling her eyes. "I'm scared for you, Sakura–sama!" she sniffed, the tears falling down her cheeks. "Iwa–nin stole my parents… I don't want them to steal you, too!"

"They won't." Sakura told her with a sigh, yanking her into a comforting embrace. Over the past week, Aiko had grown used to Sakura's presence, to her hugs. They comforted her greatly. "I'll be back before you know it. Just stay here and try to stay silent."

With that, she pulled away, placing a kiss on Aiko's forehead before smirking at Sasuke and leaving the cabin, shutting the door just in time to be greeted by her enemies. It seemed the battles had already begun and the eight before her had slipped through.

Sakura stepped in front of her cabin, her arms folding over her chest and her eyes narrowed and deadly as she watched two teams of shinobi stop right in front of her, just as ready as she seemed to be for battle.

"Just give your friend up, kunoichi." the Iwa–nin spat, whipping out six kunai, three in each hand. "We know you're his teammate – we'd recognise your pink hair anywhere."

"What do you want with him?" she demanded, strengthening her stance and lowering her arms from their folded position, dropping them to her sides.

The apparent talker of the group was tall, imposingly so, with long brown hair that seemed to be around the same length as hers. Unlike her own hair, however, his was scraped back and tied up into a high ponytail that sat on the top of his head. His hazel eyes glared at her murderously, as though he couldn't believe she had answered him back, let alone demanded answers from him. "You want to know what we're going to do to him?" he sneered, his thin lips spreading into a crooked, sadistic grin. "We're going to strip the flesh from his bones. We're going to have him screaming in agony, _begging us to stop, to just kill him_! And then, we're going to–"

"Enough, Arata." an Iwa kunoichi snapped, glaring at her comrade. "You talk too much."

The woman then turned her glare on Sakura, increasing it as she did so. The Konoha kunoichi felt like scoffing. Please! Tsunade had looked at her with a much scarier expression on her _good_ days. If this woman thought that her glare was terrifying, she clearly had not met Tsunade on one of her bad days, when she was suffering from an unrelenting hangover and had just found out there was no more sake. Sakura had to suppress a shudder. Utterly terrifying!

"Hand Uchiha Sasuke over."

"Answer my question." Sakura ordered. "What do you want with my teammate?"

"That is none of your concern." the other woman spoke calmly, but she could see the growing frustration in her pale blue eyes. "I will say it one last and after that, I will attack you. _Hand Uchiha Sasuke over to us_."

Eyes narrowing dangerously, Sakura made a single seal and a moment later, her hands were glowing blue. "It looks like you'll have to attack me, because I refuse to hand over my friend." she spat in return, her hands straightening as they were enveloped by chakra. "You won't get anywhere near him."

The woman sighed in response, glancing over her shoulder at one of the other shinobi. "Daichi, we will go with your plan."

His plan? Sakura's eyes narrowed further as her left foot slipped backwards, as she stood in almost the same stance as a Hyuuga would. Both Hinata and Neji had helped her out with this technique, as their eyes could pick up on the chakra pathways. It wouldn't kill her enemies, but it would paralyse them if she hit a certain point. That was good enough for her – it meant they had more captives to interrogate, to try and find out why they wanted Sasuke so badly.

"If it's an Uchiha you want so much, why not go after somebody else?" Sakura could feel Sasuke's chakra spike at her words, like he couldn't believe she was suggesting such a thing. No, she would not offer another Uchiha just so she could keep him – she would never do something like that. Sakura merely wanted answers. "Why does it have to be Sasuke?"

"Don't answer her." the woman, who was now apparently the spokesperson and leader, yelled at her team. "She's either trying to buy time or get answers. Do you really think a Konoha–nin would willingly give up one of their own? They're all sentimental fools." the dark haired woman growled and waved her hand forward. "Daichi."

She felt more than saw the weapons. One suddenly slammed into her stomach, causing Sakura to double over as a cry of pain ripped from her and caused her gathered chakra to dissipate. The next hit her back, making her bend backwards, her back arching from the force of the blow. Agonizing screams tore from her throat as Sakura felt oddly shaped weapons slashing across her skin, as she felt hot blood leaving her body.

"_Sakura–sama_!"

_No!_

Just as Sakura opened her mouth, about to scream for Aiko to run, a small body was jumping in front of her, knocking her to the ground and she felt her blood run cold at the bloodcurdling scream that came from the little girl.

The sound of chidori should have drowned her out. The harsh lighting as Sasuke shot out of the cabin and took down the Iwa–nin should have stolen her attention. It didn't. None of it did. All she could see was the spasming form of the young girl in her arms, she could only feel the blood pouring freely from not her own wounds, but Aiko's. Sakura's breathing quickened as she quickly and gently lifted the girl from her, rolling her onto her back and lifting her palms over her chest, eyes widening when she summoned her chakra and saw how badly damaged Aiko was.

Irreparable.

The damage was irreparable.

A deadly poison was working its way through her body at a frighteningly fast pace, taking away her movements and as Aiko's body began to still, Sakura felt a sob clawing up her throat and it took everything in her to stay calm. This couldn't be happening! She had promised Aiko so much and it had only been a week. This was not happening. It wasn't. She would open her eyes soon and realise it was all just a bad dream.

"S–Sakura–sama…"

_No. No. No._

Tears filled her eyes. It wasn't a bad dream. It was real. The hand trying so hard to lift and grab hers was real. The girl laying beneath her, with a disgusting poison that was too much for her young, malnourished body to handle rushing through her veins, was real.

"Am I…" Aiko wheezed, looking up at Sakura was fading brown eyes. "Am I going t–to see… my parents, now?"

A presence appeared behind her, but Sakura couldn't look up at Sasuke. She couldn't. All she could see was Aiko. Aiko, Aiko, _Aiko_! Not even two hours ago they had been picking flowers together, had been laughing and playing in the field. Sakura should have known something bad was going to happen. Everybody had tried to warn her about keeping a child at base camp. And she was like the vile substance pumping through Aiko's body, that was no doubt pumping through her own. She was poison.

"Yeah," Sakura whispered, barely keeping back her sob as she brushed the hair out of Aiko's eyes, "you're going to your parents."

She smiled sadly. "I'll m–miss you, Sakura–sama."

"I'm going to miss you, too!"

"Can you sing… to me? A lullaby?"

She didn't know any lullabies.

It was like Sakura's mind had gone blank as she stared down at the paling face belonging to Aiko.

"I–I don't know any." she whispered, a tear slipping down her cheek no matter how hard she tried to force it back. The presence behind her belonging to Sasuke shifted and an idea struck her. "But… I know… I know some other songs."

Aiko smiled shakily, desperately trying to take a deep breath.

Sakura took a deep breath, willing herself to keep calm. "_In the light shifting through my fingers now, my fighting spirit is hidden the light in my eyes still reflected. I fear the winds opposite answer, crying as I continue to gaze at your courage_." Aiko's smile grew weaker as her eyes grew heavier, staring up into Sakura's, fixated on the colour fresh apple green. "_The truth of kindness and fragments of pain pierces my heart and passes away. Inexperience resting in the palm of my hand, an endless tomorrow I will give to my precious person_."

It took everything to hold back her sob that was clawing its way up her throat, especially when Aiko's hand grasped hers with so very little strength. Sakura kept a tight hold of it, offering comfort and completely numbing the pain for her with a burst of chakra. She didn't even notice how others were approaching, how they stopped abruptly at the sight before them. "_Taking a step forward on a journey, the sky spreads far. I fly high and feel, but, even so, I want to dream. In my light of gold, I believe from the heart._" her eyes slipped closed and beneath her fingers, Sakura felt Aiko's heart slow until it was beating no more. "…I promise."

Lowering Aiko to the ground, Sakura's head fell into her hands, her body shaking as she cried silently.

"Sakura–chan, what–"

"Get out!" she suddenly screamed at the group behind her, ignoring the pain in her stomach and back as she threw whatever she could get her hands on at them. "You were right, okay? Aiko's dead! I couldn't do anything and now she's dead. I couldn't save her! I couldn't…" a broken sob escaped Sakura as she clutched her middle tightly. "She's gone. She's gone."

Footsteps sounded, but Sakura barely heard a thing as they left her like she wanted them to, leaving her alone with the lifeless body of the young girl she had sworn to protect.

* * *

**A/N - When I was writing this, this chapter wasn't supposed to be until like chapter fifteen, I think, so that Sakura and Aiko would spend more time together. Plans change, I'm afraid. Ugh! Anyways, in Naruto, they're always getting attached to strangers really quickly, so it doesn't matter too much, right? I hope not.**

**HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! :-)**


	13. Always Dear To Us

**Chapter 12 – Always Dear To Us**

Not even half an hour after screaming at everybody to leave, Itachi found Sakura on the ground, unconscious and losing quite a lot of blood. It had startled him to say the least, especially when he felt her forehead and noticed that she was burning up.

It felt so wrong of him to just leave Aiko laying there, even though he knew she was dead. It was sentimental of him, weak of him, to think about how Sakura would feel if she woke up to discover that he had left her there. Not to mention Naruto was rather upset over the loss. Sasuke had been quiet, more broody than usual.

With a single seal, Itachi summoned one of his crows and sent it to look for Shisui, who would understand immediately that he needed assistance. And not even a minute later, he was there, transporting to where he could sense Itachi's chakra. The sight before him caused the older Uchiha to pause, to say a silent prayer for the young girl.

"I need you to bury Aiko, Shisui." Itachi told him quietly, kneeling down once more beside Sakura and slipping an arm under her knees, the other around her shoulders. "Sakura is feverish," he stated as stood up, bringing her closer to his chest, "and I can smell poison."

Shisui nodded, watching Sakura for a moment before his eyes went back to Aiko. It pained him that she had died, that she was no longer going to brighten up the camp with her childish laughter. "Where should I bury her? Somewhere away from the camp?"

He thought over it for a moment and remembered where he and Sakura had been when Aiko and Naruto had found them – well, found Sakura. It was peaceful there, it was quiet. And she would be surrounded by many, many flowers. She had liked the flowers she picked out with Sakura earlier that day. His eyes closed and he sighed. Aiko had even picked him some flowers, leaving them on his dresser for him as he hadn't been around. The only reason Itachi knew it had been Aiko and not Sakura was because of the leftover chakra. It wasn't much, but Aiko hadn't known how to mask her presence, how to hide all evidence of being there.

"There is a field, around two miles east of here. You will know when you find it."

Nodding a final time, Shisui gently picked Aiko up, his stomach turning at how fragile and breakable she appeared in his arms. It was so wrong that her clothing was stained with blood, so wrong that she was so pale and lifeless. It was wrong that she was dead, damn it! Aiko was an innocent child who had been caught in their wars. Her death would weigh heavily on all of their minds.

"Go and find a medic for Sakura–san, Itachi." Shisui murmured, giving him a small smile, though it didn't reach his eyes. "I will take care of Aiko–chan."

Many at the camp had adored Aiko once they got to know her. Even Neji had been warmer than usual. Like he had thought earlier, she'd brightened the camp up with her laughter, with her smiles. Aiko had made many at the camp think of their families back home, think of their children and how those children were so very lucky to be in the safety of Konoha. Nobody at camp had disliked Aiko, now that he thought about it. They merely disliked Sakura's risky decision.

"Shisui."

He glanced up at the voice, surprised to find that Itachi had already left and the other members of team seven had joined him along with team Gai and the temporary members of team seven. Even Izumo and Kotetsu were there. It looked as though the blond had been crying and that pained look in his eyes only increased at the sight of Aiko.

"We want to help." Sasuke muttered when Naruto couldn't find the words.

Tenzo smiled sadly. "We all want to give her the burial she deserves."

"Itachi suggested we bury her in the field you were in today, Naruto–kun, although he was vague with the directions. Can you lead the way?"

He nodded numbly and did as he was asked, taking them down the same path he and Aiko had taken not too long ago. It felt so surreal, so unbelievable. But as he glanced down at the pale, lifeless body in Shisui's arms, Naruto felt his chest give an uncomfortable squeeze and he had to look away. It was strange how in such a short amount of time, Aiko had become dear to him. He could still remember her excitement, her happiness, when he, Sakura and Sasuke had told her she was now a member of team seven. Whether she wanted to be a shinobi or not didn't matter. She was a part of their family.

Oh God how was Sakura taking the news? She had been so excited about taking Aiko back to Konoha, in giving her the life she truly deserved. They had been talking about getting a home together, Aiko going to school…

"Shisui," Naruto murmured after a moment, his throat feeling tight and his voice low with emotion, "Sakura–chan…?"

"Itachi has taken Sakura–san to have her injuries treated by one of the medic–nin here." of course, they were not as skilled as herself, which was why Tsunade had sent her in the first place. Well, that and the fact she needed to heal their eyes. "When he approached her… She was unconscious and there was the scent of poison in her blood."

The two members of team seven nodded silently, knowing they didn't need to be worried about her. Sakura was one of the greatest medic–nin there had ever been and thanks to Shizune, she was skilled with poisons. The seal on her forehead, the jutsu she could activate, would not allow for her to die. They had seen that for themselves. Aiko had died because her body couldn't handle the poison, couldn't fight back hard enough.

Sasuke gritted his teeth. He should have moved faster, should have reacted faster. The second he had seen Aiko sprinting out of the room, screaming Sakura's name, he had frozen, absolutely horrified by the vicious beating his teammate was taking just to protect him. The force of the blows had literally made her body bend this way and that! It had sickened him. It _still_ sickened him. A child had reacted faster than he had. She hadn't thought twice about jumping in front of Sakura and taking the attack head on. It was the second he heard Aiko's screams that Sasuke had finally snapped out of his stupor, chidori charging up almost of its own accord as he shot out of the cabin and took down the Iwa–nin like it was nothing.

And when they were all dead, when he had seen Sakura trying so hard to heal Aiko before holding her gently, singing to her…

It had been his song that she had sung.

How long ago had it been that she found out he had written the song? Nine, maybe ten months? _Kogane no Hikari_. Sasuke couldn't even believe that she had remembered the words! She had told him before, when Sakura had forced him into performing for her, that his voice was nice, that it soothed her and made her feel relaxed. Perhaps that was why she chose the song? No, that made little sense, considering it had been him who was performing and not her back then. Today it had been the other way around and she had been crying, had been scared and distressed.

"We're here." Naruto told them quietly, his head raising to look around him.

It looked the same as it had only hours before.

"It's beautiful here." Tenten stated as she watched the flowers moving in the light breeze, their colours standing out yet not overly so. By her side, Neji nodded once in agreement whilst Lee was uncharacteristically silent. He had been since the death of the young girl.

"Over here," the blond told Shisui, leading him over to the patch of flowers Aiko and Sakura had spent a while looking over and admiring, "she liked it here most."

They were all silent as Tenzo created the coffin, as he used his earth style and opened up the ground beneath a large, beautiful tree, surrounded by many different flowers that the sun bathed in its light. And together, Naruto and Sasuke lowered the coffin into the ground as gently as possible, pausing in standing up as they silently said their goodbyes.

And once the ground was closed up, once Tenzo had created a headstone for Aiko, Sai accepted the kunai from Tenten and knelt down before the headstone, engraving a message into the stone.

* * *

_Aiko_

_Honorary member of team seven._

_You will always be dear to us._

* * *

"Sakura will appreciate that." Tenzo told Sai as the artist stood up and smiled, handing the kunai back to its owner. His smile seemed different than usual, however. It wasn't fake. It was small and sad. Apparently he had also enjoyed having the young girl around.

"She liked my art." he murmured when he noticed their confusion and surprise.

"Thanks, Sai."

Sai merely nodded in reply to Naruto.

"Let us pray for her." Shisui said quietly, closing his eyes and falling silent. The others were right behind him.

Once they had paid their respects, one by one, they all left the field and headed back towards camp until it was only Naruto and Sasuke remaining. The former fell to his knees the moment they were alone, knowing that he could trust his best friend not to pick at him for his moment of weakness, especially not now. It seemed Sasuke could also feel that gut wrenching feeling, as it wasn't long until he was also kneeling down before the headstone, his eyes never leaving the name that should not be written on it.

No, he wasn't about to start saying he loved the kid and whatnot – even though it sounded so wrong of him. Sasuke would still stick by his previous words. Aiko had been annoying, had asked way too many questions. She was like a younger Sakura. And that was why he was in so much pain. Aiko had been just like Sakura, his best friend. It was that thought that brought him all the good qualities of the young girl. The way she would tilt her head to the side whenever speaking with Itachi, like she was trying to figure him out. The way she would watch Sakura with obvious admiration. How she would stare up at him with wide, warm brown eyes, seeming to be intrigued. Those were three things he had never noticed until today.

Other things would be the way Aiko's voice trembled when she was excited. It would sound higher when she was scared or about to cry. For eleven, just like Sakura had stated on the day Aiko woke up, the girl was small for her age. There were moments where she would sound so very young, but then there were other moments that would tell you of the horrors she had seen.

"Aiko–chan," Naruto mumbled to Sasuke quietly, "told me that I'd make a good leader."

The Uchiha closed his eyes and made a sound of exhausted amusement. "Everybody makes mistakes."

He was torn between laughing at Sasuke's joke, or screaming at him that it hadn't been a mistake. Aiko had truly meant what she told him today – that he'd make a good leader. It had been whilst on their way here. He had asked her what she wanted to be, if not a shinobi. Her answer? "_I want to be a healer, like Sakura–sama! That way I can save others. Children won't have to be orphaned like I have been._" Naruto smiled softly to himself. Was Sakura aware of how much Aiko had admired her? Adored her? The kid had brought her up in almost every topic they discussed.

And then, when she asked about what _he_ wanted to be, he told her about his dream of becoming Hokage. Of course he had had to explain to her what it meant to be Hokage and for a few minutes, Aiko had been silent. She then told him, "_You'd make a good leader, Naruto–sama. I think you'd look after people and make sure every day was fun for everyone!_"

"It's weird." Naruto spoke up once more, although could have been speaking to himself. "We only knew her for just over a week, but it felt like she'd always been there, you know?"

"…Yeah."

"Kind of going to miss having her around. She's the only one who called me 'Naruto–sama'."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "She'll be the only one who calls you 'Naruto–sama', usuratonkachi."

They stayed kneeling before the headstone for another five minutes before they both stood up, Naruto placing his hand on the top of the headstone and smiling sadly. "We're going to go and check up on Sakura–chan, Aiko–chan. She's okay thanks to you! As soon as her injuries are healed, she'll be down here to visit you."

* * *

Her injuries were more serious than he had thought.

Itachi watched the two medic–nin who had already been at camp, watched them both closely as they tried to extract the poison from her body. It was the same poison used on the little girl, considering Aiko had taken the attack for Sakura even though the woman had already been wounded. That meant it was the same poison coursing through Sakura's veins that had killed Aiko.

On the outside, Itachi was blank, his features empty. On the inside however he was uneasy and many different questions were racing through his mind. How long did they have before it became too much for Sakura? Aiko's body had been much younger than hers and she had also been malnourished (though getting better), meaning it couldn't fight the poison off like Sakura's could. Also, the kunoichi had her _Byakugō_. If things became deadly, she could release it, could use _Sōzō Saisei_. It was the reason why Itachi had allowed her to fight in the first place, despite there being laws that no medic–nin should fight. Those who mastered the _Byakugō no Jutsu_ and _Sōzō Saisei_ were allowed to discard those medic–nin laws set by Tsunade herself.

Had he made the right decision in allowing Sakura to fight? Itachi had been certain that no Iwa–nin would get through them all, but right at the last moment, just as they had been finishing up, Neji had exclaimed that eight of them had travelled underground and cloaked their chakra right until the last minute. That last minute had been when they began attacking Sakura. Itachi had inwardly cursed himself. It was his duty to make sure things such as that never happened. He was supposed to think ahead of the enemy!

It only went to prove that being at base camp four for seven to eight months now, constantly being on edge and ready to fight at any moment, got to a person after a while. Even him.

They had all made it in time to hear the end of Sakura's song, to see Aiko pass away in her arms. Itachi would be lying if he said that his stomach hadn't dropped, that his chest hadn't begun aching when Sakura had whirled around and screamed at them, when she had started to throw discarded weapons at them. Neji had been about to yell at her but had been silenced by Sasuke's rather vicious glare. Itachi couldn't blame his brother for looking at Neji in such a way. It had taken everything in him not to do the same, to remain emotionless.

So for a while Itachi spoke with Sasuke, asking to know what happened. It had been a surprise attack with weapons Sakura had never seen before and they were too fast for her to dodge (even Sasuke had not been able to keep up with them without the use of his sharingan). Sasuke told him about freezing in place like he was a coward right until Aiko had ran out of the cabin and took on the attack, stunning the Iwa–nin enough for him to rush out there and finish them off with chidori.

All of this could have been prevented. Itachi sighed and averted his eyes from Sakura's features, going back to closely watching the medic–nin. If she had listened to him instead of being so stubborn, all of this could have been avoided. Aiko could be back in Konoha, waiting for Sakura to return. She could–

No.

It wasn't fair to think that way. Not now.

If it hadn't been for Aiko's bravery, they would have lost Sakura and even though Sasuke had taken them all out, that had been because of their shock of killing a child, which meant they would have lost his younger brother, too. Itachi didn't know whether to be thankful to Aiko for how she had saved not only Sakura, but also Sasuke, or to ache over the fact an innocent child had lost her life because of their battle, their war.

He sat down at the desk in team seven's cabin and opened up an empty scroll, taking a moment to breathe before he began his report to Tsunade. She had to know every detail of what had happened, of everything they had found out. Of the person they had lost.

It was forty–five minutes later when the medic–nin politely called out to him, gaining them his attention.

"We have finally extracted the poison from Haruno–san, Uchiha–taichou." the man spoke, seeming rather proud of himself. "Forgive us for taking so long – we are not poison specialists."

He had reason to be proud of himself, Itachi thought. Standing up, he made his way over to Sakura's bed, examining her with his eyes. "And her injuries?"

The second man grimaced for a second. "They were severe, Uchiha–taichou. Damage had been done to her spine from the force of the attacks, but it seems her seal automatically sends healing chakra throughout her body. It's almost as though it was aiding us, telling us the parts that needed healing the most."

Of course. The seal and all jutsu used with it, were strictly forbidden. There were reasons for that. Itachi was willing to bet that, subconsciously, Sakura had been about to use _Sōzō Saisei_ before she felt healing chakra invading her body. Some medics automatically healed themselves even whilst unconscious. It was rare to happen, but not impossible. Perhaps that was why Tsunade was so strict with the jutsu? "How long will she be unconscious for, Harou–san?"

"It's hard to tell." Harou, the second man, told him. He wiped his forearm across his forehead, causing his light brown hair to stick up at the front. It was obvious they were both low on chakra because the first man was also sweating lightly and seemed rather drained. "She is feverish still and unfortunately, we cannot tell how long it will last or how severe it will be. We used most of our chakra healing her wounds and extracting the poison. Right now, we're running on empty. It will be a danger to her to continue as we are."

The first man spoke up, noticing the crease between Itachi's eyebrows. Clearly he disliked the news. "Don't worry, taichou! Haruno–san is out of danger now. Once we have rested and restored our chakra, we can bring down the fever. However, it is sometimes best to let things pass in their own time. Naturally."

Itachi nodded once. "Thank you, Harou–san, Kanaye–san. Please go eat something and sleep for a while. I will watch Sakura until you are both well rested."

Bowing respectfully, the two men left and once alone, Itachi sighed and faced Sakura.

He had finished his report and due to it being somewhat an emergency, Itachi summoned his crow and ordered it to personally take the scroll to Tsunade. Their messenger bird was not to be overused in case of enemies watching them. Using the same bird so many times would be suspicious.

Just as he was about to shut the door, Naruto and Sasuke appeared, the former looking upset whilst the latter was emotionless, yet still worried for his teammate.

"Nii–san, Sakura…?"

"The medics say that she is healing well." Itachi told them both and stepped into the cabin, allowing them entry. "Right now, however, Sakura is feverish and needs to be watched. They are not sure when the fever will break and are too low on chakra to try and break it themselves. Apparently it would be best to let it pass naturally."

Sasuke nodded and slipped off his sandals. "Sakura mentioned something along those lines before, back when Naruto managed to get himself poisoned."

Instead of yelling at him like he normally would have, Naruto was too busy staring down at Sakura's sweaty face sadly. "How do you think she's going to take the news about Aiko–chan?"

The youngest Uchiha grunted. "She already knows. You're forgetting that Sakura was there."

Blue eyes snapped to dark, narrowed dangerously and angry. "I know that! I meant how is she going to feel when she wakes up?"

"Devastated." Sasuke shrugged. "She may not have known Aiko long, but it's obvious that she cared for her." just as Naruto opened his mouth, Sasuke glared at him. "Get out, Naruto. I need to speak with Itachi."

"What?" he practically screamed, glaring right back at the Uchiha. "Go and talk some place else! I'm not leaving Sakura–chan's side!"

"Lower your voice, Naruto–kun." Itachi sighed, noticing how Sakura was beginning to scowl in her sleep. "Sakura needs to rest right now and you are going to wake her up. I am sure that whatever Sasuke has to tell me will not take long. Go and have something to eat. By the time you return, we should be done talking."

It was obvious that he didn't like it, that he didn't want to leave. He did so, however. After sending a final glare over at Sasuke, Naruto slipped out of the cabin quietly, shutting the door behind him. Once he had left, Itachi took a seat at the table in the cabin, watching his younger brother carefully. Whatever he needed to say was obviously important.

"What is it, Sasuke?"

"It's about Sakura."

About Sakura? "What about her?"

"Sakura has a habit of trying to take care of and fix broken people." Sasuke told Itachi, his eyes narrowing a fraction. "First there was Gaara. He told her he couldn't love her, that he didn't ever want to risk falling in love or loving somebody again, no matter how much he changed. She stuck by him and tried to fix him. That didn't work out and then she got hurt. They _both_ did because whilst they weren't in love, they began to depend on one another, on finding comfort in each other. And then there was Aiko. The girl watched her parents being murdered, her mother being raped! Sakura wanted to fix Aiko, too."

It was Itachi's turn to narrow his eyes. "What are you insinuating, Sasuke?"

There was a pause, an uncomfortable one. "Don't hurt her, nii–san. I may have been blind, but I could still hear how you were speaking with one another, I could still use my senses and sense how you were both standing or holding yourselves. Clearly something is happening or going to happen. I know her and I know you. Just don't hurt her. Sakura's already been through enough pain – she doesn't need to go through any more."

He sighed and glanced down at the unconscious woman, regarding her silently and allowing Sasuke's words to play in his mind. "I am not broken."

"Which is what I'm trying to warn you about." Sasuke also sighed and sat down on the end of Sakura's bed, not missing how Itachi's eyebrows twitched as though about to knit together. He knew it wasn't jealousy. It was… confusion? Sasuke did not comment on the look. Even he knew that there were some things his older brother didn't understand. His bond with Sakura would be one of the things Itachi would not understand. Some parts of their relationship were just… messy and best left alone. "You're not broken, which means Sakura isn't going to try and fix you."

"You are not making any sense, Sasuke." Would it be strange to say that Itachi was growing agitated, impatient? Where had this conversation even come from? "Sakura and I are friends."

"Cut the crap, nii–san." the younger Uchiha growled, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "I get that you two haven't known each other long. I get that it'd be improper to just jump into a relationship all of a sudden – which is why I'm not suggesting that you do that. If you feel anything for Sakura, anything at all…" he shook his head, his annoyance obvious. "You don't waste your time with people unless you know it's going somewhere. You're not the kind of guy who has one night stands or flings." there was a pause, one that had Itachi's agitation fading away. The look on Sasuke's face was pained. "…I broke her, Itachi."

What? Itachi thought back on Sakura's memories of Sasuke, the ones that he had been shown whilst using _Tsukuyomi_ on her. Yes, there had been pain, she had been hurt. Perhaps at one point, she had been heartbroken, but that had been back when Sakura was a child. He hardly thought any of that counted. However, Sasuke was not one for dramatics. Of course he had his moments, but this was serious. Just the look on his face told Itachi how badly his brother believed he had broken Sakura. "How?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes before glaring down at her features, watching her as he spoke. "Everybody knows about her… crush on me." Itachi nodded. "It wasn't just a crush, nii–san. It was love. It still is love. But Sakura was confused at the time. We both were. She admired me, yes, but she never loved me in a romantic way." he sighed, glancing over to his brother. "We were both confused. When Naruto left… We came to depend on one another. I tolerated her love, her obsessive crush – no, I encouraged it. It was the only sense of normalcy at the time. Naruto was gone and so was Kakashi. We were both feeling lost and like we'd been left behind.

"And then Sakura became Tsunade's apprentice." Itachi bit back his almost automatic reply for his brother to show respect for their Hokage, instead of speaking of her as though she was a common civilian. "Anko was training me at the time so I didn't think too much of it. But then, once she taught me everything she knew, I…" his eyebrows mashed together and he averted his eyes once more. "I started to feel like it was only me who was being left behind and forgotten about.

"So I deliberately sought Sakura out, spending as much time with her as I could outside of missions and training. There was this feeling building between us and when I looked at her, I felt this… warmth in my chest. I thought I was falling in love with her!" Sasuke dropped his head into his hands. "It was wrong of me to lead her on when I had no romantic feelings for her and I guess it came back to bite me in the ass because suddenly, I was wanting to be with her all the time. I actually wanted to listen to her instead of simply tuning her out and grunting every now and then to make her believe I'm listening. And when she was in pain, when she was upset, it felt like I was experiencing that pain, too."

"It is understandable why you thought you were in love, Sasuke." he murmured, noticing the pained look on his features. "Even the villagers–"

His head snapped up, eyes once again narrowing. "The villagers make everything so much worse!" it took a lot of effort to keep his voice down, to stop himself from outright yelling. "They were always telling us, _are_ always telling us, how cute we look together and other shit like that. I have clansmen approaching me and asking when I'm going to propose and start producing children!" Itachi inwardly grimaced, but was thankful when Sasuke took a deep, calming breath, willing himself to calm down and if not for himself, then for Sakura, who really needed to rest. "One night, we were at Yamanaka Ino's party and she had pretty much invited everyone in the village between the ages of fourteen and twenty." it had been ridiculously packed. "Both Sakura and I felt uncomfortable with being so crowded, so we left the party early. Took a walk through the village until we ended up on top of the Yondaime's head. Things… happened."

He knew exactly what his brother was talking about by 'things'. He had ever since using _Tsukuyomi_. But he knew Sakura was denying it, was pushing it away and pretending like it never happened. To her, it had been nothing more than a kiss.

"Things got awkward and we sat there for a while, not sure what to do with ourselves." Sasuke sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "She looked devastated, nii–san. Like she'd just heard or found out some life altering news."

Honestly, she _had_. Sakura had spent almost her entire life following Sasuke around, wearing her love for him proudly for everyone to see. To suddenly find out that her love for him was not in the romantic way, after such a thing happening, was no doubt agonizing for her.

"But… I made her stay." he told Itachi, continuing with his story. "I made her stay so we could talk about it. Kakashi and Naruto were gone. You were away. Father… was father. I felt like Sakura was the only person I had left who I could speak to. Mother doesn't understand – she still treats me like I'm a child sometimes. All that kept running through my mind was that I couldn't be left behind. Sakura couldn't leave me and allow this awkward feeling to fester into something messier." Sasuke looked down at her again, fighting the sadness he could feel because he didn't want it to show. "And we repaired our friendship – it's stronger than it had ever been before! Those feelings are still there but we know now that we're not _in love_. But since then Sakura's had this… need, this habit, to fix everything that's broken. Part of her believes nobody would ever willingly come to her. They have to be broken to do so."

It was silent for a few minutes as Itachi absorbed the information. "I feel… confused about your bond with Sakura, Sasuke. I don't understand how you can both be so close, how you understand her so much." he chuckled softly for a moment. "Try as I might, I cannot understand her in the slightest. Everything she does surprises me."

Sasuke smirked. That was Sakura. The only reason why she didn't surprise him so much now was because of how well he knew her. _"_Sometimes, she just needs somebody to be there for her." he murmured quietly, watching how Sakura twisted under the covers until she was laying on her front, curled around one of the spare pillows. "Either it's to listen to her, or to hold her. It's almost subconsciously that she does it, too. Sakura goes to the place she feels safest." Sakura sighed in her restless sleep, sounding annoyed and the way her hand fell against the pillow was bordering violent. "If you have her trust, she'll come to you, like a wounded, scared animal – or a child seeking comfort. Even though Sakura tries to act tough, she just… needs somebody to be there for her, to hold her. Don't tell her that everything is going to be okay, because she'll know you're lying and she'll close herself off. Just… make it known to her that she doesn't have to face whatever it is that's going on alone. That's all Sakura needs. That's how our bond works, Itachi. For now, I'm the person she feels safest around. I'm her safety."

Once more, Itachi was feeling confused, but not as much as before. "For now?"

His eyebrows knitted together. "Yeah. When Sakura gets married one day, her husband is who she'll feel safest with. I won't be the person she comes to anymore."

"Does that upset you?"

"…No." he answered after a brief pause. "I want Sakura to find happiness."

"You're turning into a fine young man, Sasuke. You should be proud of yourself." Itachi told him honestly, proudly. "Not many men would do the same thing."

He nodded and then looked up at his brother. "I'm telling you all this because now that I can see, I can see how you're both acting around one another. There's obvious attraction there. And tension. I just want to make sure you won't hurt her, nii–san. My bonds with both you and Sakura are precious to me and I don't want to be stuck in between you both."

"You won't." Itachi murmured and was once more glancing down at Sakura. "I will not hurt Sakura, Sasuke.

* * *

**A/N - Um this chapter, the ending mostly, seems much more emotional than I was planning on it being. I think I wrote this around the time I finished Death Note, so that may be why. I always write ahead so that I'll always have at least one chapter to post!**

**HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! :-)**


	14. You're Looking After Me?

**Chapter 13 – You're Looking After Me?**

Itachi did not leave team seven's cabin that night and Sasuke was grateful for that.

About an hour after their talk, Naruto had returned with food for them both – it was cup ramen, but after the day they had had, neither were complaining. When Naruto had asked why Itachi was sticking around, the older Uchiha asked the blond what he knew about poisons and fevers, asked him how much medical knowledge did he have. Being a member of ANBU was risky and deadly, so Itachi had taught himself basic medical–ninjutsu. Unfortunately, he didn't know enough to break the fever, so they had to wait.

And wait.

Eventually Naruto fell asleep, sprawled out under his covers, whilst Sasuke fought hard to stay awake, but he also soon fell asleep, his head dropping softly onto his pillow. It made Itachi smile to himself. Even if he was nineteen years old, Sasuke would always be his little brother, would always be a child in Itachi's eyes. Not in a condescending way, but in a way that said "yeah, he's my kid brother".

Shifting in his seat, Itachi crossed his ankles and leaned back into the backrest of the chair, his right hand holding onto his left wrist in a comfortable resting position.

Not even an hour later, soft sobbing reached his ears, bringing Itachi as well as the other two out of their dozes. Giving that not only Sasuke was injured (still in need of his eyes being fully healed), but also Sakura (his personal medic), the responsibility fell to him to make sure nothing happened to either of them. So Itachi helped Sasuke if he needed anything and the same went for Sakura. That was why he had been staying in the cabin in the first place. He stood up silently and moved over to her bed.

Right now, Sakura was quietly sobbing but it was loud enough to wake them up.

"Sakura–chan?" Naruto whispered, sitting up in his bed.

"I–I'm sorry."

"What for?" he chuckled sheepishly and threw back his covers to go over to her. "You're–"

"Tell him I'm sorry!"

"She is delirious because of her fever, Naruto–kun." Itachi told him, fixing the sheets over Sakura's sweating and trembling body. "She most likely can't hear you right now."

"Who does she want to apologise to?"

"Kaka…" her voice was a whisper. "Kakashi–sensei…"

They were all stunned.

"Why Kakashi?" Sasuke scowled, his eyebrows mashing together. It seemed part of Sakura could hear them, but the way she was talking and answering them was the way that told you she would not remember it. Like when you would wake up in the middle of the night, but were still half asleep and would have no recollection of that short period of being somewhat awake.

"I disappointed him…" she cried quietly and Itachi noticed tears falling down the sides of her face. "H–He ignored me… because I'm weak… and… I… I'm sorry for being so weak!"

"You're not weak, Sakura–chan!" Naruto exclaimed as he got up and moved over to her bed. "And Kakashi–sensei didn't–"

Sasuke growled and sat up in his bed, glaring viciously at Naruto. "What the hell would you know, Naruto? You weren't even there!"

He paused in his movements, seeming to freeze in place as he turned to face Sasuke. "What?"

"You don't know what it was like for any of us when you left, so don't talk like you know everything."

"D–Did I do something wrong?" she whispered, obviously not hearing their conversation. "I… I only want to make my team proud…"

The older Uchiha watched her features with a hidden sadness. She looked like she was being tortured by her thoughts, by her inner demons. Itachi couldn't help but feel sorry for her. All members of team seven had some sort of problem or difficulty they had had to face. Some were classed as more severe, more traumatizing, than others. Take Naruto with the Kyuubi, having people avoiding him and calling him a monster, looking at him with hateful glares. Sasuke and his obsession to be greater than his older brother, always feeling like they were being compared and that he _had_ to be better, even if it meant leaving the village with a criminal. Hatake Kakashi had many, many problems. Even Itachi didn't know of them all.

And then there was Haruno Sakura. Bullied for several years before her best friend and rival, Yamanaka Ino, got involved. Self–imagery issues stemmed from the bullying as well as loss in confidence, self–esteem. Instead of training harder, she worked and worried over her appearance, wanting to look pretty and perfect. Her weaknesses only became more obvious when she was placed on team seven. It was wrong of Kakashi for ignoring her the way he did, for instead working with Sasuke and spending more time with the Uchiha.

Itachi sighed. "I am sure you have made Kakashi–san proud, Sakura. You are no longer twelve years old. You have grown since then and if he is not proud of your growth, then he is a fool."

Slowly, unsurely, Sakura nodded, her eyes fluttering for a few moments before her breathing finally evened out.

Naruto stared at Itachi in shock. "How did you do that? Did you use your sharingan?"

"No, Naruto–kun." he murmured in reply and once more fixed the sheets on Sakura's bed. "Sometimes it is best to try and ease the mind of what is burdening it." when the Uzumaki opened his mouth to argue, Itachi sighed once more. "I'm not saying she is relieved of that feeling – I'm simply telling you that for now, it is not bothering her."

He fell back onto his bed, his eyebrows furrowing. "Sasuke, what did you mean by–"

"Just leave it." he grunted in reply, laying down once more with his back to Naruto.

"How am I supposed to leave it?" Naruto demanded, though made an effort of keeping his voice low when Itachi shot him a warning look. He wasn't going to lie. Itachi's glare worked a hell of a lot more than Sasuke's did. He also wasn't going to lie that it kind of scared him. A lot. Hopefully, the older Uchiha would leave the threat at that. Naruto didn't really want to fall victim to one of his genjutsu. "Sakura–chan's hurting! I need to try and fix whatever's broken."

Like hell he could ever 'fix' Sakura, Sasuke thought angrily. He did his best to remain calm, to take deep, even breaths. It wasn't working. His anger was swelling and multiplying with each word that left Naruto's mouth. It was fine for the blond – he had left Konoha. He never had to witness the state Sakura had been in at times. The times when she had snuck into the Uchiha District (not exactly sneaking, for they had all known she was there) and wordlessly joined him in bed, just so she knew he was there. She wouldn't cling to him and would in fact leave a respectful distance between them, but her hand would rest on his back, like it was telling her that no, Sasuke had not left her behind. Neither Naruto nor Kakashi witnessed when she would break down during their sparring sessions, apologising about making a mistake or not doing her best. Sure, since returning, they knew she got lonely sometimes and they always tried to make her feel better, but they didn't know her like Sasuke knew her, like he had gotten to know her. They weren't aware just how badly that feeling of loneliness was eating her up inside.

"I said leave it." Sasuke growled in return, his voice deepening and sounding rougher with his anger.

It shut Naruto up immediately. He had never heard Sasuke use that tone of voice on him before and especially not whilst talking about Sakura. The only times he heard it was during battle, when he was threatening or arguing with their enemies. Was that how he was seeing Naruto at that moment in time? As an enemy and not a comrade, a friend? Just what the hell had happened whilst he was away?

Using his elbows to hold his upper body up, Naruto glared over at Sasuke's bed. He still had his back to him and the covers over his body.

"Go back to sleep, Naruto–kun." Itachi ordered quietly, watching the two younger males for a moment before he sat down in his chair once more, though pulled it closer to Sakura's bed first. If she was delirious, he would have to keep a closer eye on her. "I will wake you both when Sakura wakes up."

It comforted him how Itachi said "when she wakes up" and not "if she wakes up". There was a chance she wouldn't wake until tomorrow, after Naruto had already woken up, but he didn't care. It was a relief to know that if something happened, he would be told and not left out. "Thanks, Itachi. For looking after her, I mean."

He nodded once.

The second he heard Naruto's breathing evening out, telling him that he was asleep, Sasuke rolled onto his back and glared up at the ceiling angrily. No, he wasn't overprotective of Sakura and he wasn't possessive either. But a part of him would never be able to forgive the other two members of team seven for hurting her so badly, even if they weren't even fully aware of the damage they had caused. Sasuke would admit that yes, he had always been protective of her, had always thrown himself in front of her and saved her, however this time it felt different. It was not enemies he was protecting her from – it was their own teammates.

They seriously didn't know how badly they screwed her up, did they? And that was what made Sasuke so angry. They _didn't_ know, because they hadn't been there. Kakashi was… understandable to an extent. He genuinely hadn't known what to do with Sakura other than teaching her how to use chakra and work with her on genjutsu. Back then, there hadn't been a lot she was good at and even Sasuke would admit that. But what about after? What about when she started growing stronger, more powerful? Before he left to work at the border, they had sparred a few times, but Sasuke had noticed how Kakashi always held back whilst sparring with Sakura. Why? He didn't hold back when fighting him and Naruto. Sakura was hardly a snot–nosed genin anymore. In her own way, she was powerful. One punch and you were dead. How many people could actually do something like that? End your life in one blow or one tap of her hand on your chest?

"It does not do well to dwell on the past, Sasuke." his brother spoke up after a while.

"What would _you_ know?"

"I know enough to say that sometimes, it is best to let it go."

Let it go. Sasuke had tried so hard to let it go, to let go of all the anger festering inside of him. "It's easier said than done."

Itachi gave a small smile, opening his eyes and glancing over at Sasuke's scowling features. It certainly was easier to be said rather than actually done. "Just remember that they are here now." he reminded him. "And do not forget that you also came close to doing the same thing. Not only leaving Sakura behind, but also our family. Our village. Everyone."

Maybe that was why it made him so angry? The fact that he had come so incredibly close to making what could have possibly been one of the greatest mistakes of his life? It was a good job that they had all stopped him in the end, had caught him in time. Why the hell had he even wanted to follow Orochimaru in the first place? For more power? Mitarashi Anko had taught him everything the vile snake had taught her and had even shown him scrolls with a few of Orochimaru's jutsu that she hadn't been able to master. Anko had told him that if he had actually gone, he would have been classed as a traitor, because Orochimaru would have somehow found a way to turn him against Konoha. One time, she had even cast a vicious genjutsu over him, forcing him to see the destruction of Konoha when Orochimaru and Suna teamed up, over and over again. She told him that that would happen again if he left with the snake, only, he would be helping out. He would be killing his own friends and family.

Sasuke didn't want that and there was no use in denying that after that particular training session, his dreams had become nightmares. He watched himself through another's eyes, watched himself slaughtering the villagers. Watched himself killing his former–sensei, his teammates, his clan, his family. Anko was a hardass and her methods were just as questionable as Kakashi's, but she had made him see sense. He didn't need Orochimaru. To go with him would have been a truly big mistake.

"Itachi, do–"

But a quieter, softer voice cut him off.

"It's okay." Sakura whispered quietly, surprising them both with how soft her voice was, how comforting it sounded. When had she even opened her eyes? "It's okay. Just calm down, Gaara." she sat up slowly, as though trying not to startle somebody. They were guessing it was Gaara she was trying not to startle. "I know, I know. And I'm sorry! Just calm down, okay? Deep breaths. Shukaku doesn't control you anymore. You're your own person." Sakura suddenly smiled and shook her head, holding out her hand at absolutely nothing. "It's okay. It doesn't even hurt now. Look, I'll heal it." Itachi's sharingan activated, making sure she didn't harm herself as she raised her hand to the crook of her neck, a soft green glow filled the room, healing nothing. "See? I'm okay. You're okay." her arms opened up, as though she was welcoming somebody into an embrace and those thoughts were only confirmed when her arms seemed to wrap around somebody, although to them, she was holding nothing but thin air. "We're okay."

Sakura nodded, her eyes closing and a softer smile on her lips. "Stop apologising! I'm starting to think somebody is using a henge and pretending to be you." she paused and bit her lip, seeming to listen to him, or the memory of him, for a moment. "It's not too surprising, Gaara. It's instinctual. I read about it somewhere. Males sometimes bite down on their mates, keeping them in place when they reach orga–"

"I don't want to hear this." Sasuke muttered over her words so that she couldn't be heard.

Itachi could only nod in agreement.

"Stop worrying!" she gave a soft giggle and grabbed an imaginary hand, lifting it to her neck. It utterly stunned the two Uchiha brothers. For her to give so much trust to Gaara… It was astonishing. The neck, to many shinobi, was considered the most vulnerable part of their body (unless you were Naruto or Kiba because then your groin was your most vulnerable part). "I trust you, Gaara." another pause and this time, Sakura tilted her head to the side and pulled back a little, seeming to stare into what they presumed as Gaara's eyes. "I forgave you for that a long time ago." she smiled softly and raised her hand again, holding it in mid air (they were guessing she was cupping his cheek). "You're different now, Gaara. When you hurt me back then… You could have killed me immediately and be done with it, could have completely enraged my teammates and therefore giving you the upper hand since they'd be blinded by their anger, but you didn't. You've changed. And you keep changing! You keep proving those who doubted you, wrong."

Sasuke glanced over at Itachi, his brows furrowing. "Now do you see what I mean by her need to fix broken people?"

He nodded. "…Yes."

But this time, it seemed Sakura was the one who was broken. Perhaps she had come to him in hopes of him fixing her?

"If you fall asleep, we'll just–" she cut herself off, her eyebrows knitting together. "Gaara, listen to me. Please. _Please_?" apparently he had moved, because Sakura was suddenly kneeling up on the bed, her hands lifting into the air again. "I know the risks. I know the risks and I'm willing to take that chance. No, just… _listen to me_! Shukaku doesn't control you. He's staying in _your_ body. Your seal has been strengthened because of the council's uncertainty." there was yet another pause. "Look at me." she spoke softly. "If it eases your mind any, Tsunade–shishou taught me–" her smile faded into a grimace. "Do you really have to talk about blood and gore right now? It's kind of washing away the bliss I was feeling!" she sighed. "If I allow my chakra to be released, if I use a certain jutsu shishou can use, then I can't die in battle. Shukaku can rip me to shreds, he can swallow me whole! But I won't die." her hand lifted and was once again seeming to cup Gaara's cheek. "Just relax and stop worrying so much! For somebody who has such a blank expression, you sure do feel a hell of a lot stronger emotions than anybody else I know." she let out a soft sounding laugh, her face brightening. "Okay, maybe not Naruto or Lee–san, but you're still kind of emotional underneath all of this cold exterior."

Her smile warmed. "You're not going to lose me. Even if this, what we are, doesn't work out, we'll still be friends. I mean, look at me and Naruto, or me and Sasuke–kun! No, no. Nothing happened between me and Naruto – he wishes! He just used to have a crush on me, remember? Always exclaiming his love for me in the most dramatic ways." she smiled again, though sadly this time, glancing down at her thighs as she folded her legs beneath her and sat down. "That's… kind of messy. Sasuke–kun and I… We…" she grimaced, glancing up at her imaginary ex–lover from beneath her lashes and pouting, though it was soon stopped when she stretched and yawned. "I'm not that tired." Sakura smiled. "Seriously, Gaara. I don't mind staying awake and talking to you all night. You're a good listener." she smirked, a blush sweeping over her cheeks. "…and a good distraction, yes."

Oh how long was this going to go on? Itachi couldn't even tear his eyes away from Sakura as her smirk became impish, as her features took on a sultry expression. Not that he didn't enjoy learning new things about Sakura. It was just that… hearing the way she had spoken to Sabaku no Gaara, watching the look he presumed she had given to him before they were intimate…

It made his insides burn with a feeling he couldn't explain. He had never felt the emotion before. What was it?

Sakura lowered herself onto her back with a giggle, her arms raising for what seemed like a lover's embrace.

And it was with that single look on her face that he knew what the emotion was.

He was jealous.

* * *

Thankfully, Sakura seemed to slip back into unconsciousness before her… time with Gaara… could go any further.

He and his younger brother couldn't sleep. Sakura's sleep was restless and she repeatedly tossed and turned around her bed, sometimes whimpering out incoherent words and other times gasping. If they hadn't known any better, they could have sworn she was having a dirty dream.

It was… nice. Spending so much time with Sasuke, he meant. Itachi couldn't remember the last time they talked so much. And it stunned him how much his brother seemed to trust him! Several of the topics they had spoken about had been obviously personal and private, yet he told Itachi about them without a second thought, secretly asking for his advice, though in a discreet way. At one point they had even discussed what they should get for their mother's fast approaching birthday. Sasuke hadn't been pleased when Itachi murmured something about possibly still being at the border. In fact he had snapped at him, demanding that he at least return for the day just to see her. Mikoto missed him a lot. He knew that because sometimes, he would find their mother sighing and staring down at Itachi's place at the table with sadness.

"Being Naruto's – the Kyuubi's – watcher is difficult." Sasuke told his brother when Itachi asked how he was handling it. "Tsunade had me taught sealing jutsu, but they can't teach you how to handle it when you're actually facing the Kyuubi. Not the actual Kyuubi, but when it begins to take over Naruto." Itachi nodded, understanding just what Sasuke was saying. "The first time, the entire team almost died because I couldn't get Naruto to meet my eyes. But since then we've been working on that. Now I don't need to meet his eyes to enter his mind with my sharingan. Well, not straight away. I cast a genjutsu and once he's unable to move, I force him to meet my eyes."

Itachi frowned. That sounded too easy. "The Kyuubi is so easily captured?"

"No." he shook his head, his own frown forming. "I have five seconds to make his eyes meet my sharingan before he breaks out of it. I'm no Shisui when it comes to genjutsu and I don't have the Mangekyō, so I can't use _Tsukuyomi_ like you can."

"To be able to paralyse the Kyuubi, even if it is for only five seconds, is something many others can never achieve. Even our own father cannot do such a thing. If Shisui and myself are not there, it would take at least ten of our most powerful clansmen to be able to subdue the Kyuubi – and even then, it is only for half a minute at most."

Sasuke's eyes widened, a strange feeling filling his chest. Did that mean…?

Itachi gave him a small smile, a proud one. "It seems you have surpassed our father in many ways, Sasuke."

He'd surpassed their father? _He_ had surpassed _their father_!

It was so surreal. For as long as Sasuke could remember, he had always wished for Fugaku's acknowledgement. Sometimes he received it, other times he did not. But now their father _had_ to acknowledge him! Genjutsu, despite having the sharingan, was not what Sasuke was best skilled at. He preferred ninjutsu and found that it came to him more easily than genjutsu. Fugaku was a natural when it came to genjutsu. Not as great as Shisui, of course, but his was powerful also.

"Would it not be because of my bond with Naruto?" Sasuke asked, frowning to himself.

"I'm sure that has a part to play, but only with your capability of entering Naruto–kun's mind and forcing the Kyuubi back, allowing Naruto–kun to once again take control." Itachi sat back in his seat, stretching his legs out in front of him and crossing one ankle over the other. "Trapping the Kyuubi in a paralysing genjutsu, however, is all you. It has nothing to do with your bond with Naruto–kun."

That was crazy.

"Sasuke–kun!" Sakura suddenly shot up in bed, hand clutching her chest and breathing ragged.

Both Uchiha tensed at the pure terror in her voice and Naruto also woke up, sitting up and staring around him with wide eyes, trying to find out why Sakura was crying out.

"What?" he grunted.

Hearing his voice made her relax and a sob of happiness tore from her. "I thought that you'd left."

Suddenly Itachi was going back in time, remembering the night his brother had tried to leave Konoha. Somehow Sakura had known and she had tried so very hard to make him stay, even going as far as to confessing her feelings to him, promising that she would do anything to make him happy. The result? Sasuke had knocked her unconscious and had been about to leave her on a bench. Itachi and Shisui had just made it in time to keep him from leaving (it was thanks to Sakura that they had made it before any fights were started, before Sasuke had even stepped out of Konoha). Sometimes, he wondered if his younger brother felt bad about doing such a thing to Sakura. If the look on his face meant anything, he did. Sasuke looked horrified and pained.

"…I thought you left me too."

Sasuke closed his eyes, trying his best not to hear the raw pain in his friend's voice.

"Everybody leaves." she whispered quietly. "First Naruto, then Kakashi–sensei… Gaara… A–Aiko…" Sakura began sobbing. "_Aiko_!"

"Sakura," Itachi murmured quietly, gently cradling the back of her head as he lowered her onto her back, "try to relax."

"I broke my promise to her." Sakura cried, holding onto him tightly. "My ninja way…"

"Is to protect your precious people." Naruto mumbled, his teeth clenching as he glared down at the ground.

Her eyes were almost desperate as she clung onto Itachi, staring up at him with wide eyes. "She… She's…"

It seemed she was actually awake now, though was obviously vulnerable. Unlike the previous times when she had 'woken up', Sakura was now focused on the present. But it seemed that right there, right then, she was emotionally vulnerable.

As soon as Sasuke noticed, he was throwing back the covers and climbing out of bed, utterly stunning Naruto when he climbed onto Sakura's bed and gently pried her fingers from Itachi's shirt, staring down into her eyes for a moment before she was lunging at him and clinging to him tightly, forcing the air from his lungs as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Ease up, Sakura." he grumbled, his cheeks burning when he felt the disbelieving stare coming from Naruto as well as Itachi's eyes on him. Sasuke refused to meet either of their eyes. Like he had told his brother not too long ago, he was Sakura's safety – who she felt safest with. He was the only one who stayed. Sure, Sasuke had almost left once before, but he hadn't. That was the point. He hadn't left. "You're going to break my ribs."

Her hold loosened, though not by much. The feeling of her shaking as he slowly wrapped one arm around her, pained him. Again, like he had told Itachi not too long ago, he felt Sakura's pain like it was his own, just like she felt his.

"She's gone, Sasuke–kun." she cried, her hands fisting in the back of his shirt so harshly that he could have sworn he heard it tear. "I broke my promise! I couldn't protect her! She's just…" suddenly, Sakura tensed and pulled back slightly, looking up at him with wide eyes. "Aiko–chan's… She's not… still there, is she?"

It was Itachi who replied. "No, Sakura. Before I left to take you to the medic–nin here, I asked Shisui to bury Aiko in the field you were both picking flowers in today."

A small smile came to her lips at that, her eyes moving over Sasuke's shoulder and locking with Naruto's. "She liked it there, didn't she?" Naruto nodded quickly, giving her a pained smile. Sighing, Sakura let go of Sasuke, taking a deep breath to try and keep herself calm. "I… I need to go and see her."

Sasuke refused to let go of her. "You can't go right now, Sakura."

"Why not?"

At her demand, he narrowed his eyes, giving her a no–nonsense look. She knew better than to defy him when he gave her such a look. "You were poisoned and suffered from severe injuries. Do you know how lucky you are that you can even feel your legs right now?"

Her eyes widened in shock and fear, but Itachi spoke up, his voice calm and smooth. "There was damage to your spine, but the medic–nin healed you as well as extracted the poison."

Damage to the spine was almost always irreparable, so just to be sure, Sakura summoned her healing chakra and closed her eyes, focusing on sending it throughout her entire body. By the looks of things most of her injuries had been healed and she certainly felt better than what she had before passing out earlier that day. There were still a few traces of her fever, but a quick once over with her healing chakra flooded it out of her system. She would simply have to take a shower, since she smelt rather awful. Blood and sweat. How attractive. Well, at least Sasuke hadn't mentioned anything about it this time.

Like Itachi had told her, the other medic–nin had healed her spine. The damage hadn't been too serious, although it would have been enough to cause her severe pain if she had not been healed – perhaps even end her career as a shinobi if she took another hit to it whilst left untreated. Again, just to be sure, she went over it a few times, mending any leftover damage the medic–nin had missed. She couldn't risk it, couldn't risk losing her dream of being a powerful kunoichi. It had taken so much hard work to get to where she was right now!

Pastel pink eyebrows knitted together when Sakura reached her stomach in her examination. Like with her spine, she was lucky none of her organs had been too badly damaged. The medic–nin were clearly highly skilled and talented, but they would have needed skills like Tsunade's if her injuries had been ten percent more damaging. Raising her hand, Sakura pressed it against her flat stomach and numbed the ache there.

"You okay, Sakura–chan?"

It surprised her that Naruto was staying on his bed instead of approaching her. Normally he would have been the first one she saw when waking up!

She hated that question. She hated it when people asked her if she was okay. Why? Because nobody was ever one hundred percent okay. And half of the time, the person who was asking the question genuinely didn't care. They were simply asking it to be polite. Sakura knew that Naruto really did care, though. But how was she supposed to answer?

The truth was, was that no. No, she was not okay. She understood that she didn't know Aiko that well. She knew that it was rather dramatic of her to be so… so utterly gutted and broken up about her death. However, that didn't change the fact that she was. Sakura had wanted so badly to help her, to give her a better life.

"I'll be fine after I take a shower." Naruto's mouth opened to argue, whilst Sasuke watched her with a barely hidden disapproving stare. Her eyes narrowed. "_Alone_."

"But what if you faint, Sakura–chan?" the blond demanded, not at all liking the thought of his best friend and teammate collapsing whilst in the shower. Who knows how long it would take for somebody to find her? Of course with him and Sasuke being so concerned about her, there was no doubt that neither of them would get any sleep until she had returned to their cabin and was safely sleeping in her bed. "Or get sick?"

"Sakura is a medic, Naruto–kun." Itachi argued quietly, however there was a firm edge to his voice, one that had Sasuke resisting the urge to begin sulking. Growing up, the younger Uchiha had heard that tone of voice many times and it was now almost instinctual when he pouted and sulked. "She is aware of her own limits and knows when to call for help."

Seeing that he still wasn't planning on letting her go, she sighed. "Please, Naruto. I need some time alone to… to think about everything. I need some privacy."

His blond eyebrows mashed together. The thought of her crying to herself in the shower was another thing he couldn't stand. If she was in pain, he wanted to try and take that pain away. But Sakura was right. Right now, she was grieving and needed some time alone to try and process everything that had been happening in the past day or so. Even Naruto could understand that, as he had needed some time alone to try and get his head around the fact that Aiko had been snatched from them so very suddenly.

"You'll definitely call for us if you need help, won't you?" he asked her, though when he saw her growing annoyance, Naruto put on a smirk and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "I can help you wash–"

"Shut up, you idiot."

But much to his happiness, Sakura was smiling, albeit it was a small and reluctant one. It was still a smile though.

* * *

"You don't have to walk me to the showers."

Glancing down at Sakura for a second, Itachi looked back up and in front of him. It was dark now and it seemed pretty much everyone was in bed, all exhausted from their battles today. By the time they had left the cabin, despite his promise of staying up, Naruto had been dozing off again. The odd shinobi was awake, such as Neji and Tenzo, who were both sitting by the camp fire and keeping watch for a few hours. It would be Sai, Izumo and Kotetsu who took over the next shift. It was supposed to be Itachi's watch tonight, but Shisui had found him not too long ago and informed him that Neji had offered to take his place just for tonight, as long as Itachi took his shift tomorrow night.

"I am headed in that direction." he told her quietly and when she looked at him questioningly, Itachi gave her a small smile. "My cabin."

Oh right. Sakura had forgotten about that. All three of the captains had their own cabins, which were dispersed around the camp. Itachi's just so happened to be closest to the showers. She was certain she would dislike having a cabin so close to the place where people bathed, especially in the morning time. It probably had its perks, though.

When they reached the part where Itachi was about to turn off and head to his cabin, Sakura quickly caught his sleeve. He turned to her silently. "Thank you," she told him earnestly, "for looking after me. And for what you did for Aiko–chan."

He could see her emotions leaking through the dam she had put up after parting from Sasuke's surprising embrace. Itachi could feel in the way her hand tightened its hold on his sleeve that that dam was about to burst.

"Of course." Itachi told her. "I like to think of you as a friend and I am protective of my friends, Sakura. Take care of yourself."

Oh, Itachi could tell by the look in her eyes that she wasn't planning on returning to team seven's cabin. No, she was going to go to Aiko's grave for who knows how long. He simply hoped she would not turn into her former–sensei, despite their previous jokes about her doing so. Hatake Kakashi had wasted so much time, so much of his life, standing in front of the cenotaph for the Konoha–nin who were killed in action. It would be a shame to watch a kunoichi such as Sakura do the same thing and he knew that, had Kakashi been here, he would be saying the same thing.

Sakura nodded, quickly releasing him and heading to the empty showers, her bag of clean clothing being clutched tightly to her chest. And instead of going to his cabin like he told her he would, Itachi turned back around and headed over to Neji and Tenzo, asking them to make sure nobody walked in on Sakura whilst she was showering. It seemed Tenzo understood the message clearly since he had been the team's temporary captain. It wasn't only her body he wished to protect from others' view, but it was also her emotions. She needed privacy to let go.

* * *

His eyes opened languidly as he sensed a presence outside of his cabin, as he heard the door quietly opening and then closing. He didn't need to look to know who it was. The person's chakra had become familiar to him now. It was with great ease that he could distinguish it from the others.

However, it stunned him when Sakura pulled back the covers and climbed into his bed, but what stunned Itachi further was how she curled up against him like nothing strange was happening, how she closed her eyes and released a soft sounding sigh. Shisui was laying not too far from them! What was she doing? Thankfully, the older Uchiha had not woken up to her presence. Well if he was awake, then he gave no sign of hearing or noticing a thing. No, he was being naïve because Itachi knew he would be awake. Shisui was a great shinobi and would have woken up the second he felt movement near their cabin, just like Itachi had.

"Sakura–"

"Don't." she whispered quietly, pressing her face into his neck. "Just… Hold me."

_Sometimes, she just needs somebody to be there for her._

Sasuke's words came to the front of his mind.

_Either it's to listen to her, or to hold her. It's almost subconsciously that she does it, too. Sakura goes to the place she feels safest._

But why would Sakura feel safest with him? Yes, they had been talking a lot recently and were definitely getting to know one another better, but this felt different somehow. Was it because he had taken care of her whilst she was recovering from the poison? But then, what about Sasuke? He was her safety. Not Itachi.

_If you have her trust, she'll come to you, like a wounded, scared animal – or a child seeking comfort. Even though Sakura tries to act tough, she just… needs somebody to be there for her, to hold her. Don't tell her that everything is going to be okay, because she'll know you're lying and she'll close herself off. Just… make it known to her that she doesn't have to face whatever it is that's going on alone. That's all Sakura needs._

It had stunned him to say the least, hearing such words coming from Sasuke, but Itachi had not questioned his brother. Everyone was aware of how close the two were and how they knew everything about one another. Itachi had asked his brother about that bond and that was what Sasuke had replied with.

Hesitantly, Itachi turned onto his side and faced Sakura, but when he saw the look in her red–rimmed, bloodshot eyes, saw exactly what Sasuke had been telling him, his movements became more sure. Lifting his arm and adjusting the sheet covering them, he gave her a small smile and she returned it whilst moving closer once more. Itachi released a sigh and wrapped his arms around her, closing the rest of the distance between them and again she was pressing her face into his neck.

It was definitely not something he was used to, holding somebody whilst attempting to sleep or actually sleeping. But he could understand why Sakura needed it sometimes. It was comforting in an odd way.

Only minutes later and she was sleeping peacefully in his arms, stunning Itachi with how easy it was for her to fall asleep. It would take him a while to, he knew that without even having to think about it. To fall asleep around another shinobi was giving that person your full trust. How she could give hers away so easily was beyond him.

"She must trust you a lot." a voice spoke up quietly and when Itachi opened his eyes, he saw that Shisui was awake. No, he hadn't sat up or anything of the sort, but it wasn't hard to tell when somebody was awake. Thanks to Sakura working on his eyes, he could see more clearly now. "To come here like this, I mean."

"…I know."

"I wonder why she didn't go to Sasuke or Naruto–kun?"

Itachi had no idea why. She shared a cabin with her team, after all. It would have been easier for her to simply get up and walk over to one of their beds instead of walking across the camp just to sleep in Itachi's. Then again… "She's cold." he murmured quietly, making an effort to keep his voice low. "As though she's been outside for a while."

It suddenly clicked in his mind that up until this moment, Sakura had been at Aiko's grave.

It was now four o'clock in the morning. It had been three hours since she had finally dragged herself out of the shower and over to the field where the young girl was buried.

There was a short pause. "Oi, Itachi?" he got a hum as a response. "Sakura–san's…" Shisui sighed and leaned up onto his elbows, glancing over at the two on Itachi's bed. "She's lonely." Itachi nodded. He had already noticed that. "When she heals my eyes, she talks to me. I'm not going to betray her trust by telling you what she has told me but I know that Sakura–san is lonely. And… I think it is nice of you to do this for her."

_Sakura has a habit of trying to fix broken people_.

That was what Sasuke had told him.

But now, it was Sakura's turn to be fixed and Itachi was determined to help her.

* * *

**A/N - ****Everyone should go and watch 'KakaSaku - Love' by 'Marek K'. I was _not prepared_ for that animation and I pretty much exploded with fan-girl feels. I'm so sad hahaha!**

**HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! :-)**


	15. Habits

**Chapter 14 – Habits**

Many were keeping a close eye on Haruno Sakura. Even those who didn't seem like the type to care were doing so.

From his seat high in the tree with his chakra still concealed, Itachi silently watched Sakura, who was unaware of the fact he was there.

It had been five weeks now since the attack, since Aiko's death. It had also been five weeks since Sakura began sneaking into his cabin at night and falling asleep in his arms. No words were ever muttered about it and every morning, Itachi was woken up by the shift in the bed that told him she was getting up and going back to her own cabin. He understood clearly. There was no need to cause any rumours or make her team worry. Itachi was certain, however, that Sasuke was catching on. It was surprising just how observant he was becoming lately.

Some nights, when Sakura could not sleep and Shisui was on watch, she opened up to Itachi. Nothing too great or too personal, but little things about herself that he didn't already know. And in response he also told her things. On the nights he was supposed to take watch, Sakura joined him by the camp fire and took over for whoever it was who was supposed to be there. Then, they would go back to his cabin.

Part of Itachi was annoyed with himself. Had this been any other kunoichi, one he wasn't getting to know, one he didn't particularly care for if she stuck around or not, he would have contacted the Hokage by now. There was no point in lying to himself, was there? If it had been anybody else, Itachi would have ordered her to go back to the village. Weaknesses, emotions and sentimentality were not something to risk having at the border. Had it been Tenten who was emotionally distraught, Itachi would have sent her back to Konoha without a second thought.

So why Sakura? He had been asking himself that for the better part of the past five weeks.

At one point, the captain who had replaced Toshi after the groping incident had approached Itachi and had more or less demanded to know why he was allowing Haruno Sakura to stay. The new captain, Hiro, was also ANBU and since his arrival, the team Toshi had been leading were no longer slacking or constantly whining about tension and frustration. He was a good leader, there was no denying that. But Itachi disliked having his authority, his judgement, questioned. Base camp four was _his_ camp. Not Hiro's. If he wanted Sakura and her team to stay, despite how childish it seemed, then they were going to stay.

Hiro had attempted to argue with him but Itachi had silenced him with the fact that Shisui's eyes were still in need of healing, as were his own. They needed Sakura to stay – it was why Tsunade hadn't demanded that her apprentice return in the first place. She could have sent Shizune to take over, but this was Sakura's mission. Tsunade was certain that she could handle it.

It was safe to say that he and Hiro were not on good terms – not that they had been in the first place.

Right at that moment in time, Sakura was sitting outside of her cabin, seeming to be meditating. She had been sat still for over an hour now.

On the nights that Itachi was not on watch, or on the nights that he was but she could not sit with him, Sakura went to visit Aiko's grave. When he wasn't on watch, she wouldn't stay any longer than three, possibly four hours (or two hours if Shisui would not be staying in the cabin). If he was and she couldn't join him, then Sakura would stay there until Itachi sent one of his crows to her. It proved how smart a girl she was, as the first time he sent one to her, she immediately knew what it had meant and said her goodbyes to Aiko, promising to be back tomorrow.

That was another thing that had many at the camp (those who personally knew her) worried.

Sakura was not letting go. It was like she couldn't. Once or twice, Itachi had had to shake her awake due to her thrashing around his bed. One time he had even had to restrain her. Those nights were particularly bad for Sakura. She would try to hold back her emotions, to stop the tears, but they were so very obvious to him and it wouldn't be long until her control shattered. He was simply grateful that Shisui was kind enough not to mention something or complain, despite the fact she had woken him up on several occasions, too.

It had taken him two or three weeks to grow used to sharing a bed with another. No, it wasn't that. Itachi could handle sharing a bed. It was the fact that Sakura fell asleep _in his arms_. That had taken a while to get used to. When Sasuke was a child (only around three or four) he would constantly sneak into Itachi's room and climb into his bed, always mumbling something about the dark. He had grown out of that when he turned six, however, because their father found out and forced Sasuke to get over his fear.

Actually, Itachi wasn't sure why it had taken so long to get used to the feeling. Perhaps it was because, sometimes, when they were opening up to one another, the mood felt… intimate? Was that the correct word to use? He sighed. Probably not. However, right at that moment in time, Itachi could think of no other word to use. Like he had told his brother: he could not understand Sakura. When she told him stories and things about herself, it would always be whilst she was laying in his arms, her face always mere inches from his own.

It would be a lie if he said he was unaffected. He was a man, after all. And there was no use in denying that Sakura was an attractive woman. Itachi simply stomped back those urges to make a move – as he had once heard Naruto call it – because he didn't want to take advantage of the fact she was vulnerable. If things were going to happen between them, it could wait a little while longer. At least until she was feeling more like herself.

All of this was new to Itachi. He didn't like admitting it, but it was the truth. When it came to relationships or certain types of bonds, he had no idea how to handle himself or what to do. At the moment, he wasn't sure how to explain how he felt about Sakura, because there was definitely something there. Itachi just couldn't put his finger on the name of that emotion, of that feeling. Another bond that confused him greatly was the bond between his brother and Sakura. Sasuke had already explained part of their bond to him, but hearing about it and actually seeing the friendship between the two, were completely different things.

To put it plainly, bluntly, their bond fascinated him.

Itachi had never seen Sasuke interact with anyone the way he would interact with Sakura and it was during those moments that he saw them together, that he couldn't even blame the villagers and their clansmen for believing they were romantically involved. Many times Sasuke would push aside his pride to take care of her or to simply be there for her. When had he turned into that kind of man? It annoyed Itachi that he was missing pieces of information, that he couldn't piece it all together. His brother acted so out of character around Sakura that even Naruto had been surprised!

His little brother had gotten lucky by being placed into team seven. Itachi had had no genin team. Sure, to reach chunin, he had to join up with a team of two other genin, but they had only been his team for the exams. Since then, he hadn't seen or heard of them once. It was wrong to admit such a thing, but they meant absolutely nothing to him. Not like team seven meant to Sasuke. Itachi had kept his temporary team alive so that he could pass the chunin exams. Once he reached the final stage, they were on their own, as was he.

Tilting his head to the side, Itachi watched as Sakura slowly came out of her meditation and opened her eyes, glancing around her with an almost empty expression. When was the last time she had truly smiled? Not the small, painful one she often gave reluctantly, nor the fake one she gave to those who asked if she was okay. He meant the bright one, the one that would light up her eyes, that would make her look so very beau–

"You have been watching Sakura–san a lot."

If he hadn't been who he was, Itachi would have jumped. Shisui was the only person who could sneak up on him in such a way and it hadn't helped how he had been watching each and every single one of Haruno Sakura's movements carefully. "I have."

The older Uchiha sighed and sat down beside him on the branch, although Itachi was leaning against the trunk of it and concealing himself. If somebody was to look up at that moment in time, it would appear to be only Shisui sat there. "Any particular reason?" Shisui asked curiously, following Itachi's eyes. There was no answer. The only thing to happen was his eyes narrowing a fraction and it wasn't even because of Shisui's question! It was because of the look that suddenly entered Sakura's eyes. "She is questioning herself."

"Yes."

"She shouldn't." he sighed, watching the way she lowered her eyes to the ground, her eyebrows knitting together. "Unfortunately, this is what being–"

"Aiko was not a shinobi." Itachi cut him off, already knowing what he was about to say. "Sakura has every right to be upset."

It didn't surprise Shisui that Itachi was becoming protective of Sakura. He had heard the way Sakura would break down into tears, even though she had been stubbornly fighting them back, not wanting to wake either of them up. Shisui had also heard the way Itachi would gently shush her, had heard movements that suggested he was tightening his hold on the pink haired kunoichi. It also didn't surprise him how Itachi took care of Sakura, comforted her, without a word of complaint. He was a gentle person. A kind one. He may be a shinobi, but his friend had a pacifistic, gentle nature. He cared.

"Yes, but as shinobi, we are surrounded by death."

"Sasuke told me that he saw part of Sakura in Aiko."

"Is that why it has hit her so hard?"

Itachi sighed. "I don't know."

Shisui was silent.

In his honest opinion, everyone was acting differently. Sasuke was out of character in the way he approached Sakura, the way he took care of her. It wasn't odd to see him glaring at the odd male whose eyes would linger a little too long on her body. It also wasn't odd how he was protective of her (she was his teammate, his friend) but still. Shisui had never seen Sasuke act like… like he cared! And then there was Itachi. No, it did not surprise him that the older brother was taking care of her, because despite what people thought, he was quite a passionate person, he cared and felt and was somebody who just could not stand to see pain or suffering. However, it did surprise him how close he and Sakura were becoming.

"What made you let her in?"

He was still watching her as Sakura stood up and dusted down her standard issue uniform. In Itachi's eyes, it was strange how she preferred formfitting clothing, although when he truly thought about it, it kind of made sense. Personally, Itachi preferred his ANBU uniform to the standard jonin one for more or less the same reason. It wasn't as easy to grab hold of.

"I did not." he murmured after a moment.

And he hadn't. Sakura had smashed her way into his life with those monstrously powerful fists of hers. She forced him to let her in. Not all of his defences and walls were knocked down, of course, but they were crumbling. Itachi could feel them begin to crack and crumble every second he was with her. One after another. All those walls he had put up whilst growing up… She was tearing through them all like it was nothing. Not even Sasuke had been able to do such a thing. Was Sakura even aware of what she was doing? Of how she was sliding into his life and settling down there like she was _supposed_ to be there?

Itachi had never felt connected to anyone like the way he connected with her. No, he wasn't naïve or childish and he knew that the feeling wasn't love. At least, not yet it wasn't. It was more than capable of growing into love, though. Itachi could tell already.

She always managed to surprise him. There wasn't a single person who could act unpredictably in his eyes…

Except for her.

How was that even possible?

"I was in love with Kurenai–san."

Okay, perhaps he had been wrong. Itachi's eyes finally left Sakura's body as she disappeared into her cabin and moved over to Shisui, widened slightly in shock. "_Kurenai–san_? But you have never spoken to her before."

Shisui smiled and shrugged. "That may be so, but the heart wants what it wants." Itachi sat up straighter, knowing that his friend was about to give him advice, even if it didn't entirely seem like it. "I don't know when or how it began. One day, I saw her training. Genjutsu, to be exact. She was flawless in the way she managed to trap Kakashi–san and Asuma–san! Since then, I… gravitated towards her. I enjoyed watching her train, learning more about her. In a way, I guess it could pass as stalking, but… What she doesn't know won't hurt her." he smiled to himself with a shake of his head. "I didn't know how to approach her. She was so unpredictable to me. In each of her training sessions, she always did something that surprised me."

"How do you know you were in love?"

He glanced at the younger Uchiha, raising an eyebrow. "It could pass as just admiration, right? Well," Shisui paused as two shinobi began walking below them, returning to camp, "look. Look at Neji–san's eyes when he glances down at Tenten–san."

He did so, his own eyes narrowing a fraction as he watched the couple interact. There was a warmth in the Hyuuga's eyes, a smile. It was not something Itachi was used to seeing from him. There was something different about the way Neji was holding himself, how his body seemed to be turned towards her despite the fact they were walking. Like gravity. Shisui had stated that he felt as though he had been gravitating towards Kurenai. Was it the same for Neji?

It aggravated Itachi how he didn't know how or why it worked that way, how he couldn't understand it. "And now?"

"Now, Kurenai–san is happy and in love with another." Itachi's eyes moved to Shisui's, once again shocked. "I let her go, because she was already in love. It wasn't easy and I'll admit, there are times when I wish I could watch her train again, but it is wrong to get in the way of love. In the end, it will only cause pain."

That was what he admired so much about Shisui. He was older, meaning he was more experienced. Shisui had no problem with opening up to Itachi and using his own pain or feelings to give the younger Uchiha advice. It had always been that way. If there was something Itachi was uncertain of, he went to Shisui. Sometimes it was difficult for him to open up and say what he was thinking, for the thoughts would not form into words, but somehow, some way, Shisui knew exactly what Itachi was thinking and always managed to help.

"_Shisui–san_!"

It amused Shisui how Itachi tensed ever so slightly.

"_It's time for our session_!"

However, it amused Itachi more how Shisui tensed even more so.

"My eyes are fine today, Sakura–san." he tried to tell her, not willing to come down from his perch on the branch.

A second later and Sakura was was also on the branch in a low crouch, her eyes narrowing on him, but when she saw Itachi, she relaxed her features. "You're next, Itachi!"

"He can go first–"

Again, her eyes narrowed dangerously and snapped to Shisui's. Once again, Itachi was amused that one of the most powerful shinobi he knew was currently trying to talk his way out of being healed. "Go, Shisui. It won't take too long."

Sakura sighed, grumbling, "You always try to avoid me, Shisui–san! And when I finally find you, you try to tell me that you don't need your eyes healing. Are you forgetting who my teammates are, who my sensei is?" she sighed again. "Come on. You always admit at the end of the healing session that it wasn't as bad as you thought it would be."

"That is because you seem to have multiple personalities, Sakura–san." Shisui mumbled, his eyebrows knitting together. "I never know whether I'm going to have my eyes healed, or come away with broken bones, barely making it out alive."

So she wasn't only unpredictable to him? For some reason, it disappointed Itachi.

"If you stay on my good side," she told him, her voice sickly sweet despite her deadly expression, "then you won't have to worry."

"Fine, fine."

"Only one fine is necessary!" Sakura snapped, but then patted his arm softly. "Let's go. Itachi, come and find me in about an hour or two!"

* * *

Shisui was away again.

Around dinner, just after it had gone dark and long after Sakura had healed Shisui's eyes, he got a message saying that he had to head to base camp one to exchange information, due to him being the fastest at their camp.

Base camp one was the camp Hatake Kakashi was in charge of. A few months ago, Naruto had stated that it took him five hours to get there even at a dead sprint (when he left to get the eye drops for Sasuke). It took Shisui half of that time if he seriously pushed himself. That meant he and Sakura had at least five hours, six at most, to themselves before he returned.

Don't get him wrong, because he didn't mind sharing his cabin with Shisui. It was just that… Well, there were times when Itachi wished he could spend more time with Sakura. Alone. It was when they were alone that they truly got to know one another.

"Sasuke–kun and Naruto thinks it's my turn for watch." Sakura told him as she slipped under his covers and moved closer to him. "They didn't ask any questions."

You would think that they were having an affair, with the way they were sneaking around. But they weren't and Itachi wouldn't really call it sneaking. They simply chose not to tell everyone at camp that Sakura was sleeping in his bed. It was none of their concern. With him, in his arms, she was vulnerable. Of course Sakura wouldn't want everybody at the camp to know that!

He lifted his left arm and at the invitation, she shifted forward, resting her head next to his right elbow, which was pressing down on his pillow since he was using his fist to lean his head on. There was a quiet sigh when Itachi wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer, sharing his heat when he felt that she was cold.

Which meant she had just come back from visiting Aiko, not that he had expected any different.

"I feel like my head is all over the place." she whispered to him suddenly.

One thing he had noticed about Sakura was that, when discussing personal topics such as this one, she always fidgeted and grew nervous, her eyes darting around. Sometimes she pulled at the hem of her shirt, other times she distractedly did the same to the sheet. Right now she was currently playing with the ends of his hair, twirling it around her finger and watching as the dark strands flicked out. It felt so smooth and soft!

"All I can think about," she frowned, biting her lower lip, "is… is _her_. And I've tried so hard to distract myself! But everywhere I look, everywhere I go, I keep remembering how badly I failed her, that she died because of my weakness."

"What weakness?" Itachi asked, his voice soft and soothing to her.

Sakura looked up at him, her eyebrows knitting together. "Sasuke–kun… He says I have a habit of acting like a mother hen whilst others say that when I'm _really_ angry, I'm more like a lioness protecting her cubs." she shifted slightly, looking more angry with herself. "I should have listened to you and Neji–san when you tried to tell me to send Aiko–chan to Konoha. I should've done that. I should have healed her and then allowed Sai to take her to Konoha. At least that way, she'd still be alive. If I–"

"You should not think that way, Sakura." he cut her off. "There is no point in worrying or regretting over what ifs. What happened, happened. I understand that you are hurting and I know you most likely hate what I'm saying to you right now. But think of it this way," he ignored how she opened her mouth to argue, pressing a single finger to her lips and silencing her, "Aiko gave her life to protect you, because she cared for you. If she had done as you asked and remained in the cabin, she would not have been killed. Knowing the great risk and knowing that there was a chance of losing her life, she ran out there and protected you from taking any further blows."

She shook her head angrily, leaning up on her elbow. "Aiko–chan didn't know she would die! She was just a–"

"Just a child?" Itachi murmured and when she nodded, glaring up at him, he sighed. "Sakura, Aiko was being trained to become a shinobi. Perhaps not like the rest of us have been, but she was nonetheless. She told you that herself, told you that her mother had been training her. Aiko had seen many terrible things. She knew what would happen if she got involved in that battle."

And because it was the truth, Sakura could do no more than lower her head, her forehead pressing to the crook of his neck. "I told her I would look after her."

The hand on her back trailed up to cradle the back of her head at the faint tremble he felt from her. "I know."

"I feel like I can never do anything right!" she whispered harshly into his neck, trying her best to stop the tears.

It did no good to try and bottle up your emotions, so Itachi was silent and did his best to comfort her. Every day, Sakura would bottle up her pain and emotions the best that she could, but at night, when she came to him, that bottle exploded and there was no controlling everything that came shooting out of her. And, as Itachi shifted in his position so that the arm he was leaning on could be placed under her back, his thumb tracing a soothing pattern on the small patch of skin revealed there, he found that he didn't mind taking care of her.

"The word 'weak' just keeps flashing through my mind."

"Change it, then."

She pulled back slightly and gazed up at him uncertainly, seeming unaffected by the fact there was only a few inches of distance between their faces. "How?"

However, Itachi _was_ affected and his eyes were attempting to glance down at her lips, whilst his lips wanted nothing more than to close the distance between them, although he did a good job of hiding it. "Train."

Sakura sighed with annoyance. "I do. All the time! I've trained with so many people and the outcome is still the same. I'm still–"

"I will train you." Itachi told her, fighting back the smile that threatened to pull at his lips when he saw the stunned look on her face. At that moment in time, his features were blank, yet they were also serious. "And I will help you grow stronger."

Training with Uchiha Itachi.

Her stomach felt warm with a mixture of nervousness and something else that she couldn't describe.

"In return," he continued, his eyes growing more serious, "I want you to do something for me."

That nervousness in her stomach increased. "Do something?"

"Yes."

And as he told her what he wanted her to do, Sakura's eyes widened in shock.

* * *

**A/N - Oooh, what do you think he asked her? ;-)**

**So, the manga is ending in three weeks. NO. Do you think there'll be a third part to the series? I heard somewhere that there will be, because the movie is going to be the opening of a new era or something like that. Translations are always different on some of the stuff I read -.-**

**HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! :-)**


	16. Nothing To Apologise For

**Chapter 15 – Nothing To Apologise For**

Sakura quickly jumped backwards, putting some space between her and Itachi, but he soon closed that distance and came at her with such fast attacks that it was difficult for her to keep up.

She should have known it would be this difficult – and he hadn't even activated his sharingan! Itachi had been pushed a hell of a lot harder than Sasuke and at the same time, he was a prodigy, a genius. It all came to him naturally.

Cutting off that thought, Sakura ducked, barely missing having her head taken off by his kick.

They had been training for over two hours now and if she had ever thought that Kakashi was a hardass, then she was wrong. Itachi was so much more of a hardass. Perhaps not as much as Tsunade, but still. Right now, they were working on her reflexes, even though Sakura had tried to tell the Uchiha that they were fine. That had been the first thing Tsunade had beaten into her. Itachi proved her wrong by moving so much faster than she could even see and knocking her onto her ass. It wasn't fair, she had tried to argue. He was much faster than her!

So now, they were also working on her speed.

Sakura liked to think that she had somewhat improved in the past three weeks. Every night, she would be aching and barely even capable of moving (it was fixed with a quick once over of her healing chakra, though she had to wait until her chakra was full once more). Sasuke had commented on it before, shrugging and saying Itachi was a good teacher, whilst Naruto had exclaimed that she shouldn't be training with anyone other than team seven – Tsunade was a 'one off'.

Idiot! Couldn't he see the improvement yet? Itachi never allowed her to take a break or catch her breath. He kept her on her toes at all times and demanded her full attention. First, they had worked on her stance. As you grow older, your body obviously changes and as it does, you need to change many of the things you do. How you hold yourself and how you fight are two of those many things. Once he was certain her stance guarded all parts of her body, Itachi then moved onto reflex and speed training – which was what they were currently doing and had been for the past two weeks.

They could train together every day, but they had to keep in mind that they were not back home. They were at a base camp and had to be prepared at all times. In other words, they could not exhaust themselves during their training. Some days they didn't train at all, others they took it easy and two or three days a week, they really went at it and pushed themselves to their limit. Well, Sakura pushed herself to the limit. By the end of every training session, she was lucky if Itachi was breathless.

He seemed happy with how she was coming along, however. He had told her so just the other night when Shisui asked how the training was going. Many had taken to watching in their spare time, such as her teammates – both permanent and temporary. Lee enjoyed watching too, shouting encouragement to her and often moving this way and that, like he was thinking of how _he_ would have moved had it been him who was sparring with either Sakura or Itachi. After a while, Neji and Tenten joined him in watching Sakura's training.

It made her feel rather self–conscious, but Itachi never gave her enough time to think about it. Apparently he was used to having people watch him train.

Suddenly, his hand struck out and grabbed her wrist, twisting her arm and holding it behind her back.

"You are allowing your mind to wander, Sakura." he murmured. "Can you afford to do that in a fight against your enemy?"

She shook her head. "No."

"What were you thinking about?"

Sakura was aware of what he was expecting her to say. She knew what he was most likely inwardly sighing about. However, that wasn't the answer she gave him. "It's off–putting having them all watching." she sighed, relaxing against his hold. More like she had no other choice to. One wrong movement and her arm would snap like a twig. "Makes me feel like an animal in a zoo."

Glancing over his shoulder, Itachi silently watched the four sat there. Sasuke, Naruto, Tenten and Lee. Neji was doing a perimeter run with Sai whilst Shisui was once again going to base camp one to discuss certain things with Hatake Kakashi.

"_Kick, Sakura–san_!" Lee yelled to her, thinking she was stuck. "_He has restrained your arm, not your leg_!"

"_Idiot_," Tenten sighed with a shake of her head, "_if Sakura tries to harm him, Itachi–taichou could break her arm_."

"_Eh_?" Naruto exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "_Oi, Itachi_!" he yelled angrily, shaking his fist in the air. "_This is a spar, not a real fight! Don't hurt my Sakura–chan. This_–"

"_Shut up, dobe_."

"_Teme_–"

"You see what I mean?" Sakura sighed with annoyance. "It's distracting and annoying."

In response, Itachi also sighed. He could see why they were bothering her, as they were bothering him, too. Out of all of them, Sasuke was the only one who was silent and even then, he often snapped something harsh at Naruto. The others were all annoyingly loud. Even Itachi would admit that. Naruto should not be so worried about Sakura – yes, they were friends and teammates, but in a real battle, that worry would have been used against him the second he revealed it. Tenten should not be shaking her head and sighing every now and then, like she wasn't happy with how Sakura was defending herself or attacking – it was actually _extremely_ aggravating. Then, she was correcting Lee, who was yelling to her which technique to use or what she should do to get out of a situation quite like the one she was currently in.

Those who had previously watched Itachi spar or train (his father, the clan elders, Shisui – people such as those) knew not to disturb him or call out to him. They were silent. It was easier to forget they were even there, that way.

"It is." he agreed, his thumb tracing soothing patterns on her wrist before he released her.

Sakura sighed in relief and rubbed her shoulder and wrist a few times before dropping her arm and turning to face Itachi, which also meant turning to face the others. How could she say to them that they should back off? If she said it too harshly, she could end up offending one of them and that was the last thing Sakura wanted. They were her friends.

Lowering herself into a defensive stance, Sakura prepared herself for Itachi as he suddenly shot over to her.

"_Sakura–chan, duck!"_

A punch to the face had her flying backwards, utterly stunning them all – even Itachi. He had been certain she would dodge it. His stomach twisted as he watched Sakura fall to the ground like she was nothing more than a doll. A small, fragile, porcelain doll.

Itachi turned around, his eyes narrowed and serious as they locked with Naruto's wide and horrified ones. "Naruto–kun–"

"You idiot!" Sakura yelled, beating Itachi to it. She shot to her feet and darted over to him, shaking him roughly once she had a hold of his collar. "Look! _Look at this_!" she gestured to her bloody lip, tightening her hold on the Uzumaki. "I could have dodged if you hadn't distracted me!"

Oh. Itachi could see what she had done now. Sakura had purposely taken a punch to the face just as Naruto yelled out to her – although, that could have possibly been real, for Itachi had seen the distracted look in her eyes, had seen her entire body tense. No, it hadn't been done on purpose. The punch that had busted her lip had stunned her and it wasn't until she hit the ground that Sakura came back to herself. It seemed that she was merely taking advantage of it.

"Sakura–chan, I'm–"

"No!" she snapped, cutting him off and bringing him closer, her eyes honestly terrifying him. "This is training, Naruto. This isn't a game. This is _my_ training. If I want to become stronger, I need to take this seriously and I can't do that with you screaming my name every two minutes!"

Lee caught onto her meaning, his cheeks flushing slightly. Tenten also understood clearly as she bit her lip. However, it made her happy that they seemed understanding and not angry with her. After all, they came here to watch and to support her. But this wasn't the chunin exams! This was her training. Itachi was taking time out of _his_ day to train her, even though he was leader of the base camp, even though he was extremely busy.

Sakura sighed, her hold not as rough anymore. "I'd be grateful if Itachi and I could train in privacy. Without everyone watching. I'm grateful that you're all here to support me, but it's too much of a distraction and it's already difficult keeping up with him."

The blond didn't seem concerned with backing away or trying to make a run for it. Instead, Naruto pouted. "I like watching you spar."

Inwardly, Itachi tensed and what Shisui had told him not too long ago ran through his mind. About how he enjoyed watching Kurenai spar and had fallen in love with her. It took everything for him not to narrow his eyes. Was Naruto in love with Sakura? Itachi had heard about his crush for her (everyone had), but was it more than a crush?

"You can spar with me once a week." Sakura offered with a small smile. "Please, Naruto. You and Kakashi–sensei have always gone easy on me. Sasuke–kun is the only member of team seven who takes me seriously. And Tsunade–sama, too. If I keep sparring with you and sensei, then I'm never going to be able to grow. You both hold back so much that it makes me feel pathetic."

It was no longer her taking advantage of the situation, Sasuke noticed with a frown. Sakura was telling Naruto the truth. The way he and Kakashi held back on her _did_ make her feel pathetic. She had told Sasuke that many times. And he could understand why she went to his brother for training. Itachi never held back in anything. If he wanted something, he _would_ get it. In this case, Itachi wanted to train Sakura and help her grow stronger. Which meant she _would_, because Itachi never gave up. He refused to when it came to training or anything of the sort. If he could see Sakura's potential, then he would not give up until she reached his expectations.

Honestly? Sasuke was kind of glad Itachi was training Sakura. Like her, he had also noticed that she seemed to be stuck in her training. Never moving back, but never moving forward, either. Thanks to Tsunade, she had mastered medic–ninjutsu. Thanks to Lee, she was on her way to mastering taijutsu. But that was all. Sakura had just about managed to scrape through the jonin exams because of the examiners believing it to be best to keep team seven as a team – meaning they should all be jonin. They understood that for a medic, Sakura was highly skilled. No other medic (except for Tsunade) could fight and protect themselves the way she could and also, she had Tsunade's seal. That was the only reason she even passed those exams. Who knows what she could learn whilst training with Itachi?

"Fine." he sighed, but then smiled brightly. "Do your best to get stronger, Sakura–chan, but don't hurt Itachi too badly!"

She smirked at his wicked grin and nodded once.

"Oh and heal your lip!" Naruto yelled over his shoulder as the group left the clearing. "Blood doesn't suit you."

Rolling her eyes, Sakura turned to face Itachi, smiling up at him. "So, do we need to work on my acting skills?"

He gave her a small smirk and closed the distance between them. "No. There may be a plus side to showing so much emotion, after all." Itachi murmured to her, though his smirk slipped away at the sight of her lip. "You should have given me–"

Sakura waved her hand dismissively. It honestly didn't even hurt that badly if she didn't focus on it. Although it was rather disgusting feeling blood dripping down her chin. Surely it wasn't an attractive sight, either. "I'm fine, Itachi."

It surprised her greatly when he lifted his hand and brushed his thumb over her bottom lip, watching her expression for pain. There was none. Only awe and surprise. However, the knowledge that it was _him_ who did that to her didn't sit well with him. With the basic medic–ninjutsu that he knew, Itachi removed his hand from her face and made a single seal. Her surprise only grew as he gently healed the split, as he mended the skin until her lip looked just as it had before he punched her.

He was no Shizune or Sakura and he was most definitely no Tsunade. However, to avoid going to the hospital whenever he returned from a mission and also at his mother's insistence, Itachi had taught himself basic medic–ninjutsu. No, he could not heal major or fatal wounds. At best he could heal broken fingers. However he could clot blood and stop the bleeding. That was enough to get himself and his teammates back to Konoha, to the hospital. That was all that they needed to stay alive.

"I didn't know you could heal." Sakura whispered.

Even though he had finished with healing her lip, Itachi didn't let go of her face. Instead his hand cupped her jaw whilst his thumb continued to soothingly stroke her lip, as though he was making sure there was no pain whilst also wiping away the blood from her lips. "There are a lot of things you don't know."

Sakura smirked softly. "Very mysterious."

"Very."

Was it just her, or was Itachi leaning forward? Or was it her leaning up? Whoever it was, Inner–Sakura agreed wholeheartedly and liked that person very much.

Beneath his thumb, her lip was smooth, soft. Her bottom lip was a little thinner than her upper lip, but Itachi found that he liked that. He didn't care too much for the 'pouting' look most women wished for. It also occurred to him at that moment that her skin was just as soft and inwardly, Itachi was asking himself just when his thumb had moved from her lip and across her face, stroking her cheek. Since Sakura had been healing his eyes, he could see so much better. He could see the slight crease between her eyebrows as his thumb smoothed it over, effectively making her relax her features.

There were yellow flecks in her eyes as well as emerald green and fresh apple green, though overall, from a distance, it seemed like they were simply apple green. Also, despite her natural colour, her eyelashes were not pink. Itachi wasn't sure why he had thought they would be as the idea of them being pink seemed rather foolish. No, instead they were as dark and thick as his own, though not as long. Her eyes were different from when she was younger. When she was younger, they seemed a little droopy (though nowhere near as bad as Hatake Kakashi's), but right now, standing before him and staring up at him from beneath her lashes, they were just as exotically slanted as his own.

He had always known that Haruno Sakura would grow to be a beautiful woman. The only thing that had been wrong in his eleven year old self's prediction, was that she was not a civilian. Sakura was a kunoichi. That was even better in his eyes.

This time, Sakura knew for a fact that it was Itachi who moved, for he pressed his forehead to hers, seeming almost hypnotised by her eyes. Had they suddenly switched bodies? Was she the one with the sharingan and had it activated of its own accord? Sakura felt like scoffing. Yeah, she wished! But if she didn't have the sharingan (and she didn't!), then what was so fascinating about her eyes? Of course, she had received many compliments on the colour of them, but…

She smiled shyly, though bit her lip when Itachi's eyes were drawn to them.

And the second she released her lip, his suddenly descended to hers.

The kiss was not simple and she liked it. She liked the way Itachi seemed hesitant, like he was holding back. She liked the way he waited until she responded before he shut his eyes, before he completely relaxed. Sakura liked how one moment, he kissed her gently, softly, and then the next, he would be deepening the kiss, he would move his lips against hers with a barely restrained hunger. It made her feel wanted. No, it made her feel as though she was needed.

Swiftly, the hand on her cheek slid into her hair, marvelling at how soft it felt between his fingers.

He was everywhere. His warmth, the feeling he radiated…

Sakura's arms wrapped around his neck and she lifted herself onto her tip toes, gasping softly when she parted her lips for him and his tongue slipped into her mouth, caressing her own. One of his hands dropped to her hip, dragging her closer to him and before Sakura even realised what was happening, her back was against the nearest tree trunk. Maybe his self–control wasn't as great as everybody made it seem? Sure, he _appeared_ to be emotionless all of the time, but maybe that wasn't the case? Kakashi had taught them to look underneath the underneath. Perhaps there was more to Itachi than there appeared?

His eyes were warm and half lidded when they parted for air, panting against each other's lips. The air around them felt different than before. Sakura wasn't an idiot. She could read the signs and knew how she had been acting around Itachi. She also knew that he knew she wanted him thanks to her inner–persona.

Suddenly, however, he pulled away with a small smile.

And then a moment later, somebody was by his side.

"Itachi–senpai, Sakura." Tenzo greeted them and thankfully, even if he noticed the blush on Sakura's cheeks, he didn't say anything or so much as bat an eyelid. In fact he acted like nothing was going on, like he didn't suspect a thing. That was what Sakura had always like about Tenzo. He kept to himself and didn't force his way into your business. If he could sense that it was private, that it wasn't to be told to anyone, he would keep it that way with little to no problems. "Senpai, it seems our captive is finally beginning to speak."

It was about time! Itachi sighed. Whilst he wanted nothing more than to remain with Sakura, he knew that right now, he had to reign in those emotions and be a tool for his village. Hopefully, she would understand – if the look she gave him meant anything, she did. When Tenzo was dismissed and went back to the interrogation cabin, Itachi closed the distance between them once more and kissed her softly, although the kiss wasn't like the first. This one was simple, yet still tender.

"I will speak with you later, Sakura."

And then he was gone.

* * *

He had kissed her.

Sakura took a deep breath and continued her work on Sasuke's eyes, trying to keep calm as she did so.

But oh God. Uchiha Itachi had kissed her!

And she wanted him to do it again.

"Why are you so excited?" Sasuke grumbled, though was not able to open his eyes due to the fact she was healing them.

The damage was no longer as bad as it had been and he could see almost perfectly. However, Sakura was wary about him activating his sharingan. At least not yet. When he activated it, she wanted Itachi or Shisui to be around just in case something happened and her current research did nothing to help. Luckily, there was no more pain for Sasuke, although it took him a good thirty seconds in the morning to clear his vision of blurred spots. That was something Sakura was currently working on.

As a shinobi, Sasuke needed his sight to be perfect. Otherwise, if there was an attack and he suddenly leapt out of bed to defend himself, he could end up accidentally killing a comrade and not realising until it was too late.

The new captain at base camp four (Sakura was certain he was called Hiro), had asked her if it was a wise decision to keep Sasuke there. Oh she had wanted so badly to beat the shit out of him, especially since he had asked her in front of the entire camp when Sasuke was by her side. Hiro's words got to Sasuke – they could all see it. They could see the way his features struggled to remain emotionless, the way his fists clenched tightly. It was only thanks to Tenzo intervening that Hiro didn't get his ass kicked by both Sakura and Sasuke (Naruto, too, once he realised what was happening).

"Your eyes, Sasuke–kun." Sakura lied. It was hard to tell if she was lying since she sounded just as excited – and she was! "They're almost completely healed now. Tomorrow, I want you to tell me how long it takes for your vision to clear when you wake up."

And then they were going to try activating his sharingan.

Carefully extracting her chakra, Sakura smiled brightly at the Uchiha as he slowly opened his eyes and blinked twice. "It didn't take as long for them to clear." he commented, glancing around the room. "Even after you heal them, they take at least ten to fifteen seconds to clear, depending on how long they're closed for."

"Which is a great sign!"

He gave a small smile and nodded once. "Yeah."

"I feel like I'm so much closer to discovering why your eyes are being affected so much." Sakura told him. "I've been thinking back to when all this began and I realised that before you became the Kyuubi's watcher, you never had a problem." Sasuke's eyes widened a fraction. "Do you think that's it?"

It was quiet for a while as Sasuke thought over her words, as he tried to figure out just what that would mean if it was true. What if it _was_ because of him being the Kyuubi's watcher? But that didn't make any sense! Itachi and Shisui had watched over the Kyuubi several times and they never had a problem. The same went for many in his clan. _Why him_? Were his eyes not as strong as the others'? "I don't think so." he murmured after a minute or two. "If that was the case, Tsunade would have found someone else to watch over Naruto and the Kyuubi."

That was true. The moment she realised it was causing him health problems, Tsunade would have stopped him from being the watcher and handed it over to somebody who could handle it. "But something around that time definitely did something to your eyes." Sakura replied with a frown. "Remember that morning when we were in the hospital? And other than headache and eye strain, you were fine. More or less unharmed."

Sasuke scowled. "Naruto wasn't harmed either."

"I'm not accusing you of anything!" she snapped, realising he had taken her words the wrong way. "I'm just stating facts. And yeah, all that was wrong with him was chakra depletion and the fact that that chakra from the Kyuubi always hurts him." After a moment or two, Sasuke nodded in agreement. Sakura stared into his eyes, trying to remember if something had happened to his sharingan. She couldn't. Nothing that came springing to mind with warning bells, anyway. "When you next activate your sharingan, I want to be there and I want either Itachi or Shisui–san there. That way, if I miss anything, they'll be able to tell me."

Knowing that there was no use in arguing, he nodded again. "Right."

* * *

The captive was finally speaking, but the things he was saying were worrying to say the least.

An Uchiha attacked Iwa.

And the Tsuchikage was certain that it had been Sasuke. However, when the Iwa–nin told Itachi the date of the attack, he could personally vouch for his brother. That was the date of one of the bigger, more important, clan meetings. One that nobody was allowed to miss. Even if you were on your deathbed, you had to attend. No exceptions and no excuses. Throughout that entire clan meeting, Sasuke had been sat next to him and had been conscious the whole time, speaking when spoken to directly and giving the occasional nod of approval.

So that meant somebody had been impersonating his brother. He could not have sent a clone either, as the distance was far too great and it wouldn't have made it even halfway. Sasuke may have large chakra reserves, but he was not Naruto. The further away a clone got, the more chakra it took to sustain it.

All around the time of the attack, Sasuke had either been with him, or been with the Hokage and his team. It made no sense. Why would somebody choose Sasuke? Why not Itachi or Shisui? At that moment in time, they were both the most powerful in their clan – not including those who were dead, of course – whilst Sasuke was not. But maybe that was why he had been chosen? Whilst Sasuke was powerful, he still had flaws and many weaknesses. That would make him easier to impersonate. He and Shisui never showed their weaknesses. They never revealed what their flaws were. So even if somebody was watching them, they would not be able to find much out. With Sasuke, however…

Itachi sighed and sat back in his seat, about to start on yet another report.

Who could be impersonating his younger brother?

When he found out who, that person was going to be made to suffer. Not only were they dragging Sasuke's name through the mud, but they were also trying to start a war. They were putting not only his family in danger, but the whole of Konoha.

That was not acceptable.

* * *

"Camp has been busy all day. People rushing around, shouting orders, arguing." Sakura smiled sadly. "You probably wouldn't have liked it much. I know you don't like loud noises."

Silence met her.

Looking around the dark clearing, she frowned. Things today had been hectic. After healing Sasuke's eyes, they had left their cabin just in time to see Sai putting a tied up Iwa–nin on the back of one of his creations. When they asked what was happening, they were told it was highly classified. Only Sai, Tenzo and Itachi knew of what was happening. It had annoyed them, but they understood in a way. Those three were all ANBU and whatever the information they found out was, it was clearly something big that needed to be taken straight to their Hokage.

Everything was being bathed in moonlight and Sakura couldn't help but smile softly at the sight of the flowers. They seemed so delicate and beautiful, even though their colours were all dulled or washed away. And in her peripheral vision, Sakura could see that the ends of her hair appeared almost blonde and silver in the moonlight. No doubt the rest of her hair looked that colour, too.

The pain that had been ever–present for months now doubled.

"Naruto misses you – we all do." Sakura told her softly, continuing with picking some flowers and arranging them. "He misses having you around and laughing at his jokes. The others don't think he's all that funny, but you do, don't you?" a gentle breeze had her hair obscuring her vision for a moment though it settled down almost straight away. "And even though they won't admit it, I know Sasuke–kun and Itachi miss you, too. They just prefer not to bring you up, in case they upset me." Sakura paused for a moment and readjusted one of the flowers. "I'm still doing it, by the way. Training with Itachi. Though it's really tough, you know? Unlike the others, he never lets me take a break. He's pushing way beyond my limits."

Another breeze, this one much stronger. Sakura liked to think that it was Aiko's way of replying to her. "No, no. He's not hurting me. Itachi's making me stronger and helping me. I _need_ this."

Lowering her hands and stilling her movements, she frowned. "Some of the others are getting annoyed with me. Earlier, I overheard two of them talking about me. I can't even remember their names, but they're on Hiro–san's team. Anyway, they were talking about how I'm too emotional, how I didn't even know you…" it took everything in her to stop the tears and when she spoke again, Sakura's voice was higher. "And I know they're right, but it just hurts so bad. You were just a kid, Aiko–chan. You were just an innocent child who got mixed up in our wars and I'm so sorry for that. I'm so sorry for keeping you here when I should have sent you back to Konoha."

The breeze came back. "Itachi told me that I shouldn't feel guilty and I'm trying so hard not to, but it's difficult and I can tell that he feels like he's partly to blame, too. Usually he's so impassive – Sasuke–kun, too! However, they're both feeling just as guilty as I am. We all have our reasons, I guess."

Her breathing hitched for a moment. "Aiko–chan, I'm so sorry that I couldn't keep my promise."

As soon as the words left her mouth, clawed feet landed on her shoulder, a black head turning to the side so that Sakura could see it more easily. Itachi's crow. She could tell because of how intelligent the eyes of the crow were. Nodding, Sakura placed her finished flower bouquet against Aiko's headstone, giving a small smile and placing her hand against her carved name.

"Night, Aiko–chan. I'll be back to see you tomorrow."

The crow disappeared halfway back to camp and when it did, she felt a huge weight settle on her chest and it only increased when Sakura entered her cabin to see that her teammates were asleep. Grabbing her bag and shoving clean clothing into it, she left the cabin once more and made her way over to the showers, nodding once to Neji, who was currently on watch. Sakura knew she could trust him not to allow anyone to walk in on her in the shower (not that they would, as it was rather late) and also, he wouldn't comment on the fact that after her shower, she would not be returning to her own cabin. Neji's eyes missed very little, after all.

Slipping out of her clothes and into the shower stall, Sakura sighed when the hot water hit her. How they had hot water in a place like this, she had no idea. All she knew was that she was incredibly grateful for it.

However it was halfway through her shower that she realised something. That weight would not leave her chest and in response, her entire body felt heavy. Not only that, but there was also a certain itch building within her. She bit her lip. Previously, a certain redhead would have helped her with that particular itch. Gaara was not here now, though and even if he was, their relationship was no longer like that.

There was always…

No. Right now, the relationship building between them was fragile (or was it?) and to do such a thing would make her so very vulnerable. Could she really be that way with him? Could Sakura truly open up to Itachi in such a way? Would he even understand? Surely, over the years, he had also felt that certain itch? She wouldn't think any less of him if he did. He had been in ANBU since he was just eleven years old! He had to have seen some seriously messed up shit that had screwed with his head. All ANBU operatives were haunted by their job – though some were better at hiding the psychological damage than others.

Sakura bit her lip.

Even if it was only brief, she needed that blissful moment, the one that made you forget about the pain. Even if it was only for a short while she wanted to feel like she was needed. That was what her itch wanted. It wanted her to feel wanted, to feel needed. Could Itachi give her that? He had kissed her earlier that day, so clearly he was attracted to her or at least interested.

Really, the question was: would he turn her away?

Deciding to simply take a chance, Sakura cleaned herself and switched off the shower, drying her body quickly and distractedly before pulling on her pants and throwing a sweatshirt over her head. There was no point in putting on her underwear. If things went the way she hoped they would then they would only be coming off again!

So distracted, Sakura quickly left the shower area without her bag and sandals, walking as fast as she could without drawing attention to herself over the grass (vaguely glad that she had dried her feet, as it wouldn't be very arousing to have grassy, muddy feet).

He was still awake.

That thought repeated itself in her mind as she shut the door to Itachi's cabin behind her. The lights were all out and he was laying in bed with his eyes shut, seeming to be sleeping, but by the sound of his breathing, it was obvious he was only relaxing.

At the sound of fabric shifting, Itachi opened his eyes.

"Shisui–san isn't here?"

He shook his head, watching her carefully as she climbed into bed, shifting the covers over herself and restlessly moving around for a moment.

Something was different about the way she approached him.

But Itachi definitely wasn't complaining as Sakura slipped her thigh over his hip, as she stared up at him with a sultry look. Her hands pulled on the drawstring pants he was wearing, shoving them down just enough for him to be freed and once he was, she was kissing him heatedly, her hand working on his length until he was just as ready as her. The fact that she didn't seem to be wearing pants or underwear only vaguely registered in his mind as he was too preoccupied with the pleasure shooting up and down his spine, of returning her sudden, hungry kiss.

He was not rejecting her or pushing her away.

The heel of Sakura's foot dug into the back of his thigh and her mouth fell open, her eyes slid shut, when she guided him to her entrance, allowing him to slide his length into her heat. Itachi found that he enjoyed that expression on her face. A lot. As she began to move, his hand dropped to her ass, gripping it tightly as he guided her into a steady rocking movement.

Everything else was lost to Sakura the second Itachi kissed, licked and grazed his teeth along her neck, the second he took control of their pace. She liked this. The intimate rocking of his hips against hers, the hot feeling of his open–mouthed kisses on her neck.

Her lips pressed to his temple for moment, but she was too distracted by his ministrations to do much else, so could do nothing more other than wrap her arms around his neck, pulling him impossibly closer. It was a relief when he helped her out of her sweatshirt, throwing it to the ground without having to move too much, without their position of laying on their sides being disturbed. Her arms went back around him once it was gone.

His hair tickled her neck and shoulder, sticking to her skin as a thin layer of sweat began to cover them both, but Sakura didn't mind. It was a nice feeling. A quiet moan of his name sounded when she felt that feeling, the one that told her something big was coming. Panting against his temple, her hand slipped down his back and to Itachi's hip, urging him to move just a little bit faster. He did so. And when he did, that coil, that feeling, finally snapped, finally burst.

With her orgasm came Itachi's, a soft moan escaping him as he stilled his thrusts, holding Sakura's hips flush against his as he came.

She did not move away from him. He didn't want her to. Instead, Itachi tightened his hold on her and rolled himself onto his back, pulling her on top of him.

"…Wow."

He smirked tiredly at her whisper, his hand running through her hair.

"I'm sorry." Sakura continued in a quiet whisper, leaning up so that she could look down at him. "I should've… spoken to you about this first, right? I mean, there was that kiss we shared earlier, but–"

"You do not need to apologise, Sakura. We're both adults and we both wanted this." Itachi murmured to her, pulling her down to him again and brushing a kiss to her lips. "Rest. We can talk about this in the morning."

* * *

**A/N - Having a really bad day and needed something to take my mind off it, so I decided to post another chapter. Reading back on it now, though, I feel like it's too soon for them to be having sex, but at the same time, I don't want to take that part out of the chapter. There will be explanations and whatever in the next chapter.**

**Oh and to the person who reviewed last chapter saying Sakura's acting unprofessional... She's grieving and feels like a child's death is on her hands. I'm sure anybody would feel inadequate and would hate themselves if they were in Sakura's position. And I know she hasn't been entirely professional even before Aiko's death, but meh. She has a medic's heart and has always had trouble shoving away her emotions. I don't like an emotionless Sakura who is unbelievably powerful. I like her to have flaws, because she does have them. It's what makes her, her.**

**Ugh. I hate college. I have 100% attendance, 5/5 for work ethic and effort and yesterday at this progress interview thing, I was predicted As and distinctions and already working at As. But today, I was told that I can't be a part of my course anymore because I'm 'too old' for it. _Bull-fucking-shit_. They knew how old I was on enrolment day! So what's the fucking issue? They also promised that if I finished this year with passes for all subjects, with 100% attendance and effort, then they'd let me stay for the next two years to do my a-levels.**

**Ha. So much for becoming a journalist, then.**

**I have an interview with them tomorrow or something like that. I can't even be bothered, to be honest. Maybe I should sue them. Is that even possible? -.-**

**HOPE YOU ENJOYED AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! :-)**


	17. Agreements

**Chapter 16 – Agreements**

To say Uchiha Shisui was feeling surprised when he entered the cabin he was temporarily sharing with Itachi would be an understatement. Of course he already knew that it had become a habit of Sakura's over the past month or so to sneak into Itachi's bed and fall asleep in his arms, but this…

Right at that moment in time, her back was against his chest and Itachi was curled around her. The sheet that was covering them only covered their waists and below and the only thing shielding Sakura's breasts from Shisui's eyes was Itachi's arm, which was wrapped around them. From what he could see, they were both naked. Sakura's clothes were thrown to the ground carelessly (as well as Itachi's pants, he realised a moment later) and there was definitely a musky scent to the air, telling him that yes, they had had sex.

It was about damn time.

Sleeping in a cabin with two people who had that much sexual tension growing between them was almost unbearable.

"Shisui." Itachi sighed, not even opening his eyes and keeping his face pressed into Sakura's neck. "I know that you are tired, but please give us a moment of privacy to get dressed."

Sakura shifted in her sleep, moaning and letting out a "sh" to Itachi until she grabbed the arm beneath her head and placed a tender, sleepy kiss to it.

"I only came for a change of clothes." Shisui murmured in reply, stepping into the room and grabbing what he needed. "There is no rush for you both to wake up and get dressed. Sleep, Itachi. You need the rest just as much as Sakura–san."

He nodded silently, although he knew that he would not be going back to sleep any time soon. Not when others were awake and moving around close to his cabin. The only reason Itachi hadn't known Shisui had entered until it was too late was because he transported himself into the room. Reaching down, Itachi pulled the covers up and around both himself and Sakura, trying to ignore the way she squirmed against him as he kept her pinned and still.

Just as quickly as he had entered, Shisui left and once he had, Itachi loosened his hold on Sakura, allowing her to move more freely in her sleep. She looked so peaceful right at that moment in time, he thought as he used his hand to rest his head on, his elbow pressing down into the pillow. Sakura didn't seem to mind how his arm had tensed and flexed beneath her head. Instead, she shifted backwards until she was more fully against him and snuggled her face into his arm.

Definitely a strange woman in his eyes.

Itachi couldn't deny that it was endearing, though. The way her nose scrunched up slightly until she raised her hand and scratched it sleepily, that hand soon moving to her shoulder as it was tickled by his hair. He smiled and reached behind him, brushing his hair over his shoulder so that it wouldn't bother her before once more resting his arm over her waist, holding her against him.

Was it strange to admit that at twenty–four years of age, this was the first time Itachi had woken up to a woman, holding her, after making love the night before? Of course there had been a few women in the past but they had all been targets. He had slept with them to find out information. After getting what he needed, he left. His mission had been accomplished so there was no need to stick around. The last thing Itachi needed whilst on a seduction mission was to grow attached to the target.

"Mm, 'tachi?" Sakura hummed sleepily, her eyes slowly opening, though they closed a second later due to the brightness. Clearly she had not been expecting it to be so late into the morning. Neither had he, in all honesty. "What time is it?"

Hearing that she sounded more alert, Itachi sighed inwardly. He would have liked to hold her for a while longer. "Almost nine."

She nodded distractedly and he knew from the look in her eyes as she turned to lay on her back and opened them, that last night's events were catching up to her. "We slept in pretty late." Sakura smiled sheepishly, glancing down at the sheet covering her body as she fidgeted with it. "Uh…"

"We didn't get much sleep." he murmured in reply. It made him inwardly smile when she blushed. "What happened last night, Sakura? Why did you come to me?"

It was silent for a couple of minutes and during that pause, Sakura bit her lip, she averted her eyes, she fidgeted. All were signs of nervousness, of uncertainty. Itachi already knew how she was feeling, however, because of the look in her eyes. Since arriving at the camp, since they had started getting to know one another, she had become like an open book to him. That was why he hadn't questioned her the night before or put a stop to her ministrations. No matter how brief it was, Sakura had needed that connection. It was wrong of him to do so, but he had slept with her because he didn't want her to go to somebody else. Part of him had wanted to feel her so badly. And Itachi despised that part of him, although he knew he shouldn't. It was the human side of him. Not Uchiha Itachi the shinobi, but Uchiha Itachi the person, the man. It had been a moment of weakness, where his emotions had gotten the best of him. He had felt possessive of Sakura and she had awakened his lust. In that moment, they had been impossible to ignore.

"Uh…" Sakura breathed, looking up at the ceiling and swallowing hard before continuing. "I was at her grave again last night. Aiko–chan's. I…" she sighed, closing her eyes. "After picking some flowers and placing them down for her, I came back here and took a shower because I was dirty. And somehow I just… I ended up here. In bed. With you."

_It's almost subconsciously that she does it, too. Sakura goes to the place she feels safest._

Once more, Sasuke's words were running through Itachi's mind. And, like that first time, he was left feeling confused. Why would Sakura feel safest with him? Sure, Itachi would understand if she had needed that contact, to be with a man intimately, _to feel_, but this? No. He couldn't understand it and he wasn't sure how he was supposed to handle something such as this.

"Do you regret it?"

Sakura shook her head softly. "But I wish I'd gone about this differently."

They were getting somewhere. She was opening up to him. Itachi regarded her features silently for a moment. "Why?"

"I like you, Itachi." she whispered but quickly cleared her throat and spoke louder. "But I promised myself that next time, when I'm with somebody like this, like we had been last night, I'd be in love."

Noticing the creasing between her eyebrows, he lifted his hand and gently smoothed out the lines with his thumb, cupping her cheek a second later. "This does not have to be a one time thing if you wish for more." he told her, his voice a low murmur. "You interest me, Haruno Sakura. Fascinate me, even. I would like to see where this goes if you allow me."

She frowned again, looking up at him in confusion. "Where this goes?" He nodded. "I don't… I don't know what you mean…"

"I would say 'courting', but that implies that I have the intention of marrying you. For now perhaps we should use a simpler word, one that doesn't seem so final or like we are moving too fast."

Sakura smirked wryly and rolled her eyes. "I'm already in your bed, Itachi. But… I like your idea. Oh and if you're trying to find a word," her smirk widened as she stared up at him teasingly, "us less traditional folk are calling it _dating_ nowadays."

He returned her smirk. "Well, then. Will you agree to _date_ me, Haruno Sakura?"

It surprised him when she laughed, the wide smile on her face making her eyes close. "It feels like you're proposing marriage, Itachi!" his smirk turned into a smile at her mirth, when he saw the genuine happiness in her features. It had been a while since he had seen it and it was at that moment that Itachi realised he _missed_ seeing her look so happy. "Yes, I suppose I do agree. Even though we're completely messing up the order. You're supposed to take me on a few dates before I end up under you!"

"We are hardly your average couple." Itachi told her simply.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Hm. I think I want you to take me on a real date, though. You know, dinner or something of the sort. Nothing fancy, perhaps just…"

"Just?" he pushed.

A blush swept across her cheeks and she smiled softly. "I've always wanted to go on a date where… I'm looking up at the stars. It sounds cheesy, I know. But it's just something I've always wanted to do. There's something about it that makes it seem so romantic." she bit her lip for a second before releasing it.

"Dinner under the stars." he threw the thought around in his head, picturing it, before smiling down at her. "I suppose it can be done."

Her eyes widened. "Really?"

Itachi nodded once, though his smile slipped away a second later as a certain thought hit him. "Sakura, last night, we did not use a condom."

"I know."

How could she be so laid back about it? There was–

Oh.

"You're using birth control."

"Have been since I turned fourteen." she shrugged. "You don't have to worry about me suddenly tracking you down one day with a miniature Itachi."

Birth control since she was fourteen? _Birth control_? Perhaps it was his traditional way of thinking, but to him, it just didn't seem right. Girls that age should not be having sex or doing anything sexual of the sort. Shinobi… Okay he would understand it if the fourteen year olds were shinobi, because in many people's eyes, if you're old enough to kill, you're old enough to do pretty much whatever you wanted. However… Well, Itachi didn't believe it was right. Shinobi or not, Sakura had been a child back then.

She must have noticed the look in his eyes as she quickly averted hers, frowning. "You're judging me."

"No, I'm not."

"You _are_. I can see the look in your eyes, Itachi." Sakura kept her eyes averted and when she spoke again, her eyebrows knitted together. "I started taking birth control because Tsunade–sama thought it best that I was taught…" she sighed again. "Seduction. I was warned that there was a chance I could be sent on a seduction mission and I didn't want to risk anything. I didn't start birth control because I was sleeping around. I've only ever slept with two guys and you're one of them."

Itachi brushed the hair out of her eyes. "I'm not judging you, Sakura. I apologise if it seemed that way. You said so yourself, I'm a traditional man. It startled me but I am not judging you."

Slowly, she nodded. A second later however and she felt her face being turned so that she would look up at Itachi. It took her a couple of moments to actually make eye contact with him but as soon as she did, her eyes were quickly dropping again. Was it wrong that that look in his eye had hurt her? The judgement? Sure, he had just said that it hadn't been judgement, that he had been startled, but did that really make it any better? Perhaps bringing up the fact that she had been taking birth control since she was fourteen had been unnecessary. And way too early into their… relationship, if that was what they were now. But it had just been a slip of the tongue. Everybody had those.

"Sakura." This woman was too stubborn, Itachi sighed. "Look at me, Sakura."

She did, shifting uncomfortably as their eyes met.

"I'm sorry."

Oh how could she resist a face like that? A voice like that? And he was genuinely sorry for the way his reaction had seemed. Reaching up, Sakura ran her hand through his hair before gently tugging him down and closer to her, smiling softly as she pressed her lips to his.

"Take me to breakfast and I'll forgive you."

"Would you not rather I bring it here to you?"

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Do you not want to be seen with me?"

Itachi was really beginning to wonder if he would ever get used to Sakura's mood swings. "I was simply stating that it may be more comfortable for us both to eat in my cabin. It is late morning after all and usually, before everybody is waking, you return to your own bed to not gain any unwanted attention."

This time, Sakura was rolling her eyes and pushing him back so that she could sit up, holding the sheet to her chest and gazing around the room, attempting to find her clothes. "I do that to stop Naruto from pretty much exploding with questions I'd rather not answer and I've got the feeling that Sasuke–kun already knows. He knows me better than I know myself." she reached out and picked up her sweatshirt, tugging it over her head and once it was on, she reached for her pants. Like she had told Itachi, she had come fresh from the shower the night before, which meant– "Shit."

"What is it?"

The look she gave him was helpless. "I left my things in the showers."

Was that all? "Then go and get them."

"You don't understand!" Sakura groaned, her head falling into her hands. "I left my _underwear_ there."

Oh.

_Oh_.

Well that explained why she wasn't wearing any the night before.

"…I see."

Everything dirty would be in her bag, Sakura recalled vaguely. However, she always kept her clean clothes in a neat pile on the bench beside her bag, so that nothing inside of it got wet when she was out of the shower and about to dress. What time had Itachi said it was? Nine? Great. This was the time everybody was in the shower. If she went herself, then no doubt everybody would stare at her with a smirk. If Itachi went for her, rumours would be started and that was the last thing she wanted. Plus the thought of him finding her underwear and bringing them to her was just… odd.

She sighed and climbed out of bed. A second later, she was groaning again. Her sandals seemed to be in the showers, too, considering that they weren't here.

"See you later, Itachi." she sighed, leaving him to lay there with a stunned expression as she left.

All she had to do was ask, he thought as he got out of bed, got dressed and grabbed some clean clothes. He needed a shower anyway and he could have discreetly picked up her belongings without anybody noticing. He was a shinobi, after all.

* * *

Oh the showers were full.

What made it worse was that it was obvious Sakura hadn't been alone the night before. She smelled like sex. You didn't have to be an Inuzuka to pick up on the scent. Taking a deep breath, she entered the showers and kept her eyes away from the men who were all showering. Oh God she didn't want to see them all naked. Definitely not so early in the morning.

"Sakura–chan!"

Why did the Gods hate her?

"Where were you last night? I woke up and you were gone!"

Many turned to face her after Naruto's loud question and Sakura debated on whether or not she would get away with brutally murdering the jinchūriki. If he continued–

"Shut up, idiot." Sasuke grumbled, noticing her dishevelled appearance. He didn't even want to know what had happened, especially as his older brother entered the showers not even two whole minutes after Sakura. Unlike her, however, he did not look dishevelled. He simply looked as though he had only just woken up, but that was strange. As far as Sasuke could remember, Itachi had always woken up at the crack of dawn. "Sakura, your things are next to mine."

Sakura smiled gratefully at Sasuke and hurried over to her belongings, only to pause as she searched through them and growled. Her clean pair of underwear were missing. Thankfully, it didn't seem like anybody had searched through her bag, but her underwear had been next to it as well as her vest top and sandals (which were both still there). Before causing a scene, she looked under the bench and around the floor, but found nothing.

"Who has them?" she growled, her eyes flashing dangerously as she turned to face the men. It only vaguely occurred to her that she was about to threaten a room full of naked men. "Whoever has my underwear had better give them back before I find out who has them and _strangle you with them_!"

They gulped, looking amongst one another and searching their shower stalls, trying to find out who had so stupidly stolen her underwear. Even Shisui seemed rather uncomfortable. Sakura ignored how Itachi had paused in removing his clothes, bending over for a second. She tried her best to ignore him as he approached her, too.

What she couldn't ignore was him holding her underwear up to her.

"I believe these belong to you."

Was it even possible for her to get any redder? Sakura glared up at him and her face only darkened at the smirk on his lips. She snatched them out of his hold and scrunched them up, hiding them from view. "Where were they?"

"On the ground." he told her simply and turned back around to continue getting undressed and take his morning shower.

They shouldn't have been! Was what Sakura wanted to snap. She wanted to know how they had gone from being hidden beneath her vest (which was something she had done since she was twelve years old), to across the showers and on the ground. Stealing a glance at them, Sakura inwardly sighed with relief. At least they weren't a horrible pair or 'that time of month' pair. That would have been humiliating. No, these were simple black boxer–shorts. They obviously weren't her nicest pair, but they weren't her ugliest either.

Turning around and shoving them into her bag, Sakura threw the bag over her shoulder and left the showers. She would take another shower later when there were no guys there. Perverted guys who had been _doing something with her underwear!_ Sakura didn't even want to know what, though she was definitely going to make sure they were scrubbed clean later on. With bleach.

* * *

"Do you think I'm easy?"

Itachi glanced down at her and frowned minutely. After training, up until she had spoken, he had been watching the birds flying around together in the sky, watching how the leaves high above his head rustled in the gentle breeze. This was one of the things he enjoyed about being away from the village. It was peaceful here at times, when they weren't worried about sudden attacks. "Easy?"

With her own frown pulling at her features, Sakura stared down at the ground that was far below them, her legs dangling from her position on the branch. "We've only known each other a few months and we still don't know each other that well… but we slept together. I… I don't want to be labelled as a whore."

He sighed and raised his hand, gently brushing stray strands of hair behind her ear as they had been attempting to shield her eyes from him. That was not acceptable. He liked seeing the many different expressions that flitted through her eyes. She was so very expressive and it was a nice change from being surrounded by those who hid all emotion, who were completely blank. "No. It makes you human." Itachi told her softly. "You were vulnerable last night, Sakura."

It amused him when she blushed. Not only had she been vulnerable last night, but it was safe to say that she had also been horny. Not that Sakura would ever admit that to him. "But–"

"You don't have to explain yourself to anyone." he murmured, turning back to look up at the sky. "You had your reasons for coming to me, just like I had my reasons for allowing it to happen. Last night, I told you that we both wanted what happened, to happen."

"And what were your reasons?"

Itachi smirked softly at the quiet, curious voice from his side. "My reason is simple. In a moment of selfishness, of weakness, I acted on what I was feeling instead of pushing you away. It is what I would do to anybody else – push them away, that is. With you, it was different."

"…Did you just call me a weakness?"

His smirk returned, having slipped away whilst he was talking. And when Itachi glanced down at her, he was amused to find that her expression was displeased, her nose wrinkled and delicate eyebrows knitting together. "Yes. Somehow, whilst getting to know one another, you seem to have become my weakness."

It felt like something had suddenly slammed right into her. His weakness. _His_ weakness. Uchiha Itachi – _Uchiha fucking Itachi_ – had just called her _his_ weakness! "…Oh." Sakura's voice was even quieter, her eyes a fraction wider with shock and a pretty pink blush swept across her cheeks. "And how… how did you work that one out?"

So Sakura enjoyed romance? Itachi gazed at her expression for a moment, watching the emotions in her eyes. Of course, he had already known that she was a romantic, but it seemed Haruno Sakura was a hopeless romantic. Did this mean he had to say pretty words and read poetry? No. Itachi would simply be honest with her. Not hide his emotions, what he was feeling, from her. "The past two months have been difficult for you." Sakura frowned in confusion. "If it was anybody else, I would have had them return to Konoha. Many times, Hiro–san approached me, telling me that my decision to keep you here was wrong, that I was biased because of how much time we were spending together." Itachi gave her a small smile. "I used the excuse that you need to stay here to heal both mine and Shisui's eyes, but that is a lie. My eyes are almost completely healed now and Shizune–san could have taken over with little to no trouble." Her breath caught at his next words. "I did not want you to leave."

"You want me?"

The change in her emotions was so very clear to him. She was no longer blushing, no longer seeming excited. No, Sakura was still a little excited, but not a lot. She seemed to be in pain. Did she feel as though nobody wanted her? "Why is that such a surprise?"

A shaky smile pulled at her lips, but it slipped away a second later. "It's just hard to believe. You're…" Sakura shook her head with a sigh, averting her eyes and glaring down at the ground below them. "You're _Uchiha Itachi_!"

Yes, he was aware of who he was. "I'm still a man, Sakura. No matter what my name is or what people believe or expect of me, I am still human. I have emotions. They're hidden, but they are there. No mask is perfect and nobody can truly push away their emotions." there was a short pause. "Every person has their weaknesses and I am no different."

"I didn't mean it like that." she pouted, feeling as though he had been telling her off rather than explaining something. Of course she knew everybody had weaknesses, that Itachi was still human! "I meant… You're Uchiha Itachi, so why waste your time on somebody like me?" Itachi's eyes snapped to hers as he heard the raw pain in her voice and the second he looked at her, he saw that tears were filling her eyes. "I get that I'm the only available woman here and that you've been here for a long–"

"Don't pass this off as me simply being horny."

His words slapped the self–pity right out of her. Had… Had Itachi seriously just said the word _horny_? Had he just admitted that_ he was horny_? Inner–Sakura was out cold once more and she felt her body heating up dramatically at his words, a much more fierce blush spreading over her cheeks.

"The Sandaime once told me something, something that the Nidaime had told _him_. As you are probably already aware, he was Sarutobi–sama's sensei." Sakura nodded, absorbing his words as Itachi turned to face the sky again. "He was told that Uchiha are greatly devoted to love and friendship – so much so that to lose the one they care for, creates a curse. The Nidaime called this the 'Curse of Hatred'. The despair of the experience causes a manifestation of unique chakra within that Uchiha's brain, impacting the optic nerves and creating–"

"The sharingan." Sakura gasped.

He stared down at her for a moment, regarding her reaction silently. The only person he had ever told what had been said to him, was Shisui. And Shisui had agreed wholeheartedly.

"Yes. And more advanced forms of the sharingan require extremely painful experiences that causes the user to delve into the darkness that utterly consumes them." he fell silent once more, thinking back onto his own experiences. Itachi quickly shut those thoughts away. It did no good to think back on painful memories. They were in the past for a reason. "What I am trying to say, Sakura, is that you should not shove aside my feelings because of my last name." Itachi gave her a small smile. "If anything, it should worry you."

"It doesn't worry me." she smiled softly. "You're forgetting who my teammate is, Itachi. I'm somewhat used to Sasuke–kun's outbursts, although now I can understand why he has them sometimes. Did I ever tell you what happened when he first became Naruto's watcher?"

There was a short pause. "I am aware of the story, if that is what you are asking. The entire team almost died, did they not?"

Sakura nodded, her smile slipping away and her eyebrows knitting together. "Yeah…" she sighed, rubbing her arm in a nervous, unsure gesture. "When I woke up in the hospital, Sasuke–kun had been so worried. I'd never seen him like that before! He was acting so out of character, but I can still remember how angry he'd been towards himself – still is! I can remember seeing this… flash in his eyes."

"A flash?"

Once again, she nodded, staring up at him uncertainly. "His sharingan was activated at the time and I can't be sure, because when I first woke up, everything was fuzzy, but I swear, Itachi, I saw a change in the tomoe."

Itachi's eyes widened a fraction. "Are you saying he managed to–"

"I don't know." she sighed, running a hand through her hair when the wind gently blew her bangs into her eyes. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Itachi do the same. "Everything was blurry and disorientating back then, but I can still remember seeing a certain flash in his eyes, but it stopped the moment I made a sound, when he realised I was awake."

"If Sasuke has obtained the Mangekyō, he has not said a word about it." Itachi frowned in a rare show of confusion. "Have you ever seen that flash since then?" Sakura shook her head, biting her lip. He sighed. How could he bring something like that up to his brother? Sasuke would lose trust in Sakura if he did – he'd believe that he couldn't be himself around her, for she would tell Itachi. But if Sasuke had the Mangekyō, then he would need help. Those eyes were extremely dangerous and there were many risks that came with such a power. An idea hit him. "It would explain why his eyes are suddenly deteriorating."

It seemed she didn't appreciate the reminder. "I'm working on fixing them."

He bit back his smile at her disliking, at her pout. "No, I meant that if he only halfway managed to unlock the Mangekyō, it would explain why he is having so much trouble with his sight. Such a thing should not be possible, though it is obvious that almost losing his entire team was a great deal of stress for him. It would have been traumatic enough for his eyes to advance to the next stage of the sharingan." However, it seemed like they had frozen somehow during the transformation. Why? And how?

Holy shit. Sakura turned her head forward, staring out in front of her with eyes a fraction wider than usual. Sasuke? The Mangekyō? Like he needed another power up! He was ridiculously powerful as it was and now, he was going to be even further ahead of her. She had no hope in catching up. And the damaging effects of that power up! Oh God.

"Looks like I need to do more research." Sakura sighed.

"You will not be able to find anything on the Mangekyō." Itachi told her seriously. "Only those with advanced eyes can do such a thing." even some members of his clan could not read the ancient tablet. "However, I am sure Shisui would not mind sharing his research with you."

Shisui's research? "But haven't you also been researching it?" she asked in confusion and turned to face him once more. "I mean, you also have the Mangekyō, so wouldn't it be best for you to do your own research?"

Itachi tilted his head to the side, thinking it over for a moment and whilst previously, Sakura would have believed that he was ignoring her, she now knew different. He was merely thinking over all possible answers and the best one that would explain his thoughts more easily. "I trust Shisui's research." he answered eventually. "Whilst I have done my own, he has more experience with the Mangekyō and has been researching for much longer. He does not mind sharing that research with me."

That didn't seem like the thing he had been thinking so hard about, but Sakura knew not to push. If Itachi was holding back in the information, then she knew that it would be clan secrets. He could be classed as a traitor for sharing them.

"I will find a way to discuss this with Sasuke." Itachi told her after a couple of moments. "But I believe that, before our conversation focused on Sasuke, we were talking about what is happening or going to happen between _us_."

Biting her lip, she focused on the ground, eyes narrowing a fraction. There was no ignoring the fluttering in her stomach at his wording, at the fact he wanted to talk about them and where they could possibly be going. However… However, what, exactly? She was afraid of being hurt again? Partly. Yes, Sakura would say that she _was_ kind of scared of being hurt again. She didn't want to come to depend on having Itachi there to make her feel better, only to have him disappear a few months down the line.

So far, everything between them had been _real_. Every emotion and every interaction had been so very real and it had been intense to say the least. Last night was a perfect example of that. It was like his entire being called to her. And that was what scared Sakura. What if it was only a sexual thing? That made little sense, though. Okay, she would agree that there had been a lot of not–so–innocent flirting here and there, but everything else had been… Sakura couldn't find the word to explain it. All she could think of was that whatever was beginning to make her entire body feel warm, was powerful.

It didn't feel like love – at least she didn't think it did. To say that she was in love after so little time wasn't only doubtful, but it was also cliché. Like something she'd read in a book! No, whatever she could feel, it felt like it had potential to become something greater. It felt like it had the possibility of becoming so much more, something so very powerful that it could consume her.

Damn, she needed to stop reading romance stories!

"I know it's kind of late to ask, and that I was the one who instigated what happened last night…"

Much to her surprise, Itachi did not look disappointed. He looked understanding. "You wish to slow down what is growing between us."

In his mind, there was no use in denying the obvious attraction between them. There was no use in denying the fact that he could also feel something powerful building within him. Part of him was wary of accepting such a thing (need he repeat himself on the whole Curse of Hatred thing?) whilst a different part of him, the human side of him, wanted to see where their relationship would go. He wished to do things he never thought he would have, things he had sworn he'd never do as long as his village still needed his services as a shinobi.

Perhaps it would be best to slow their relationship? Last night could be a teaser, in a way. It could be a teaser of what could truly happen between them. Though saying that, it made it sound as though Itachi was only in this for the sex – which he wasn't. It had to be taken into account, however, that last night was the first time he had slept with somebody and it wasn't for the sake of a mission. Of course it meant something to him! And Itachi wanted to continue to find out new things about Sakura. Never had he ever had the chance to truly get to know a woman in such a way and he found himself wanting to learn everything about Sakura. He wanted not only to find out what made her writhe and moan, but also what made her smile and laugh.

"If that's not too much to ask, of course." Sakura mumbled, cheeks growing pink. "It's just… When… If things become official between us, I want to be certain of it, of _us_. You have to realise, Itachi, that with an official relationship, comes all the drama and the rumours and those petty outsiders who want to see that relationship crumble and break." she glanced up at him, giving him a small smile. "And I want to be independent. I don't want to be the type of woman who relies on her partner for every little thing. I did that before and when things ended, I was terrified of being alone because before then, I had somebody else to help me."

He frowned. Was she talking about Sabaku no Gaara, or Sasuke? "Help you?"

Eyebrows knitting together, Sakura nodded and took a deep, shaky breath. "Like after a stressful day at the hospital, where I lost a patient. Or after a mission gone wrong. Or anything like that! Whenever that happened, there was somebody there to put me back together, to comfort me and take my mind off of everything. I can't depend on someone that way again, not if this isn't going to last."

Still he couldn't be too sure on whether or not it was Sasuke or Gaara they were discussing, so Itachi decided to not mention any names and instead nod in understanding. Whilst he wanted to know more about how those particular relationships worked (and by doing that, learning more about _her_), it was obvious Sakura wasn't too comfortable speaking about it at that moment in time.

"I understand." Itachi told her quietly. "Just know that you don't have to bottle everything up. Even if you want to be independent, there are still times when you can depend on me and in return, I can learn to depend on _you_. I believe that is how a romantic relationship is supposed to work, is it not? We are supposed to be equals."

Sakura nodded again and gave a smile. "We are."

Equals.

This could work.

* * *

**A/N - I saw a picture of Madara and someone's OC and it got me thinking. Can you imagine how untouchable you'd feel as Madara's wife? Sure, there'll be scary moments where you're worried about what he'll do next, but if he loves you, then you're untouchable!**

**I've only gone and burned a frigging hole in my nose. Well, it's not an actual hole, but several layers of skin have been burned off and oh God it is horrendous! You know those cotton buds that you buy to clean your ears? I dipped one of the ends into hot water and pressed it against one of those under-the-skin, really painful and rock hard spots I sometimes get. My aunty gave me the tip and said that it helps make the spot go down. It's worked for me in the past! This time, however, I guess I just didn't realise how hot the water was and now there's a burn on the side of my nose, shaped just like the cotton end of a cotton bud. -.-**

**FML!**

**Anyways, to take my mind off of my blonde moment, I want to go on a rant about something I saw on a YouTube video's comment section. It's about the shipping wars (need I say more?)**

**SasuSaku vs NaruSaku. Seriously? And then, you get the NaruSasu or the NaruHina shippers getting involved, saying Sakura is the most useless character in Naruto. Um... Could the _be_ more wrong? Sorry, but the weakest female in Naruto has to be Matsuri. I think everyone knows I absolutely _despise _her. Oh and Karin. I can be really hypocritical like that. I hate it when people slag off or bitch about my favourite pairings or characters, but the moment somebody brings up something I hate, I _will_ rant about them.**

**You get people saying that because of how obsessed Sakura was with Sasuke in part one, she's pathetic and it's not real love. Okay... So what about the fact Hinata pretty much stalked Naruto? Sakura was simply more outspoken and didn't care about wearing her heart on her sleeve, whereas Hinata was too shy to say anything. Don't get me wrong, I really like Hinata and I think she's adorable, but I hate the way everyone bigs her up and makes her seem so much greater than she actually is. So what if she's a Hyuuga? Sakura isn't from some major clan like they are, so that makes her achievements so much greater! She had to rely on only herself, whereas they all have special eye techniques or things such as those. Plus, that little speech Hinata made during the war, like just before they went on the offensive against Obito (I think this was just after Neji died?), it just made me cringe.**

**That really seems like I'm hating on her, but I'm not. I can't see Naruto with anyone other than Hinata, but I just get so annoyed when people say Sakura's useless compared to Hinata. Ugh.**

**Don't know about anyone else, but I'm still hoping KakaSaku will happen ;-) I think I actually said that on the comment and then everything pretty much exploded. SasuSaku and NaruSaku fans going insane. L O L.**

**Okay I'll go now, even though I could keep on going hahah!**

**HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW :-)**


	18. No Longer A Secret

**Chapter 17 – No Longer A Secret**

He was feeling suspicious and uneasy.

For the past three nights now, Sasuke had discovered that Sakura was no longer sleeping in her own bed, but by the time he woke up in the mornings, she would be there, peacefully sleeping until it was time to wake up or reading a scroll.

At first he had thought that she was merely spending more time at Aiko's grave, but that thought had been completely ruled out the other morning when Sasuke had not seen Sakura at all until that incident in the showers. Clearly, she was spending the night with somebody. Was it Itachi? Sasuke honestly couldn't tell. His brother revealed very little and what little he did reveal, was cryptic and difficult to understand.

It didn't bother Sasuke – not entirely. He simply wished that somebody would tell him what the hell was going on. To wake up in the middle of the night and notice that your teammate's – your friend's – bed was empty, was rather alarming, especially considering their location and everything that had been happening lately. Waking up during the night and not finding her in her bed was one thing – he could say that she was at Aiko's grave. However, waking up in the morning and finding that her bed hadn't even been slept in, was beyond worrying.

Before waking Naruto, Sasuke had gotten dressed and made his way to the showers, nonchalantly searching them during his morning shower. Then, when it was painfully obvious that Sakura was not there, he went to Aiko's grave. There were fresh flowers resting against the headstone but there was no Sakura. His mind began to race as he stood still, trying to search for her chakra, but all he got were leftovers, telling him that she had been there before disappearing. Was she abducted? Oh God. If somebody had taken her, he would find that person and kill them, and then yell at Sakura for letting her guards down in a place like this!

Deep breaths. He was probably assuming the worst, but as shinobi, that was what you were supposed to do. You were supposed to expect the worst and have back up plans, have strategies. There was no plan or strategy right now. What could have possibly snatched Sakura out of nowhere and literally leave no chakra from doing so? Even if her guard was down, she was still tough. It was instinctual how Sakura summoned her chakra and when distressed, she had very little control over her strength. Somebody who could–

Shit.

Why hadn't he thought of him before?

Sighing, Sasuke turned back around and left the clearing, heading back to camp at a relaxed pace. There was no use in getting wound up.

That thought was completely obliterated when he returned to camp.

"Where's Sakura–chan?" Naruto demanded, fists clenching by his sides.

It seemed the blond had discovered the same thing as Sasuke. He growled with annoyance, realising how others were listening in, before making his way over to Naruto and Shisui, the former yelling at the latter. Why he was accusing Shisui, Sasuke would never know, although considering that this was the guy he also needed to question… Well, it saved a lot of trouble having Naruto yell at him. Wouldn't want to seem emotional or too attached to Sakura, would he? After all, Sasuke had a reputation to keep. Cold and distant, just like his family. Like his father.

"She has taken to sleeping in Itachi's cabin, Naruto–kun, Sasuke." Shisui sighed and kept his voice low so that nobody other than those two heard. This was a private matter, one that the entire camp didn't need to know about. "During the night, Itachi and I have noticed that she keeps going to Aiko–chan's grave and afterwards, she comes to us. Well, to Itachi. For comfort."

The younger Uchiha grimaced. "With you in the room?"

Shisui actually smirked and shook his head. "To sleep, Sasuke. Sakura–san sleeps in Itachi's bed." More like in his arms…

"Why didn't she come to us?" Naruto asked in a low murmur, looking as though he was pouting. Didn't Sakura feel like she could trust them?

Sasuke glanced over in the direction of his brother's cabin. He knew why Sakura hadn't and wasn't coming to them. She was opening up to Itachi, learning to trust him.

He was becoming her new safety.

And there was nobody who could protect her better than his older brother.

So, Sasuke accepted it.

Not that he really had much of a choice. When Itachi wanted something, he stopped at nothing to get it.

* * *

Removing his fingers, Itachi shifted in his position until their hips were aligned, his patience wearing thin and his control slipping. Never had he ever felt this kind of need, this craving, for somebody. For _anybody_. Beneath him, Sakura gasped against his lips, breaking away from their desperate, hungry kiss, when he entered her in one swift thrust.

Itachi liked how she didn't move because of him, but instead with him. They moved as one beneath the sheets, sharing kisses and caresses, sighs and heated, affectionate looks.

His lips travelled over her skin, littering kisses along her neck. It was when he reached the crook of her neck that Itachi quickened his pace, an intense shot of pleasure shooting down his spine when Sakura moaned in his ear and her nails scraped across his back. If the way she reacted to his hand suddenly gripping a tight hold of her thigh and roughly dragging her impossibly closer meant anything, she was in the mood for a bit of roughness. It was because of their time together (talking and sparring, not actually having sex) that Itachi knew Sakura enjoyed a little bit of rough sex. There were no misunderstandings there. He had also picked up on the fact that she liked being the dominate one sometimes. They could meet halfway on that last one, he supposed.

"Ride me." Itachi murmured to her as he rolled them over.

Sakura couldn't even deny that hearing those words passing his lips turned her on even further and in response, Itachi smirked when he felt her fluttering around his length, grasping at him.

She did as he asked, her hands falling to his chest for a moment before an idea struck her and she moved them behind her, using his thighs as leverage and giving him a view of them connected. Itachi growled, his hold on her hips tightening. Sakura grinned impishly. He didn't honestly believe that she'd let that teasing smirk slide, did he?

All thoughts of teasing him left her mind, however, when Sakura felt her orgasm creeping up on her, felt that coil in her stomach tightening. Itachi sensed it too and his eyes moved to her face, watching her expression. Moving her hands back to his chest, she moved harder, faster.

They had decided that it would probably be best to slow down the sexual part of their growing relationship. So how had they ended up like this? With her riding him almost frantically in a desperate attempt to bring them both to completion? Well. It had started with her waking up to Itachi trailing his fingers up and down her back and whilst it was completely relaxing, there was also a spot on her back that was rather ticklish. And when Itachi had found it she began laughing and squirming beneath him. Sakura had turned around just in time to have her lips claimed by a demanding, hungry kiss whilst something hot and hard pressed against her thigh.

The fingers curling on his chest soon straightened as she slipped her hands upwards until her elbows were pressing down onto the mattress above his shoulders, until she was lowering her body down onto his. Picking up on what she wanted, Itachi shifted beneath her and began meeting her thrusts more enthusiastically, only vaguely hearing the wet slapping sound that was joining Sakura's wanton moans.

Her forehead pressed to his, eyes sliding shut as she moaned against his lips, only able to continue with her movements due to Itachi's hold on her ass, grinding her against him and dragging out her orgasm.

Itachi chuckled as she slumped against him once her orgasm had passed, panting hard and loosely holding onto him.

"I am not done with you yet, Sakura." he smirked when she chuckled in response, lifting her head and biting her lip. The warm look in her eyes, the warmth in her smile, was beautiful to him.

It was with those words that Itachi sat up and kissed Sakura softly, though surprised her when he pulled out and turned her around. Placing a pillow beneath her, he gently pushed her legs together and placed his hand on her back, forcing Sakura to press her chest down onto the bed, her arms resting on each side of her head before they were stretched out. And when Itachi straddled and entered her once more, he kept up a slow yet forceful pace, his hand gripping her hip tightly, the other holding onto her shoulder.

Sakura bit down on the pillow when his pace increased, her hands clenching into fists and back arching. When her hips began to lift to meet his, Itachi shifted the position slightly to make sure she would be comfortable and was in awe of the sudden cry of pleasure that he heard, though it was muffled by the pillow.

In need of air, Sakura turned her head away from her pillow and shakily, her arms slipped beneath her to hold herself up, Itachi moving with her as he paused in his thrusts and allowed her to part her legs. It was like he couldn't get enough of her. Everything about her was driving him insane, was setting his body on fire! One of his legs lifted so that his foot was pressing down onto the bed and he was half–straddling her, his hand still gripping her hip tightly.

She bit her lip harshly, eyes squeezing closed, when Itachi fisted her hair in his other hand, forcing her back to arch elegantly whilst he continued to thrust into her roughly. Maddening. Absolutely maddening.

She loved it.

But then something happened that had Sakura tensing.

The door to his cabin opened.

Revealing her team.

Itachi's sharingan activated, glaring over at the two men stood in the doorway. He did not stop his thrusts. And to make a point of not stopping any time soon, he forcefully slammed his hips against Sakura's, causing her features to contort with pleasure, a loud sob–like moan ripping from her. "Leave."

Numbly, they did so and the moment the door was shut, he was leaning over Sakura and releasing her hair so that he could place his hands on each side of her.

"W–Wait, we should–"

"Continue." he breathed into her ear, grinding against her. As he spoke once more, his teeth grazed her earlobe. "They have already seen us now."

A single thrust was her undoing.

Every sense left her as her thighs began to quiver, as loud cries of Itachi's name left her shamelessly, despite the fact she knew the entire camp would hear her. Well that was until his hand covered her mouth, his hips moving more harshly against hers. A moment later, however, that hand left her mouth and fell to the bed, gripping the sheets tightly as his thrusts faltered for a moment, as Sakura's violent orgasm brought forth his own. He pressed his face into her neck, muffling his sounds of pleasure even though he was certain they would not be heard anyway, considering how loud his lover was being.

She was trembling beneath him, her hips squirming backwards into his and creating a delicious friction, one that dragged out their orgasms. And when Sakura's arms gave out on her, when her voice gave out on her, when her orgasm faded and she was left utterly breathless, her head dropped to the bed beneath her, a soft smile on her face when the bed shifted and Itachi's arms folded beneath her head, acting like a pillow. Whilst his arms acting like pillows, his body acted like a blanket as he lowered himself completely against her, his body pushing hers further into the pillow beneath her. Sakura didn't mind. It was oddly comforting.

"How many do you think we made uncomfortable?" Sakura whispered breathlessly, her eyes closing.

Itachi inhaled deeply, enjoying how her scent was mixed with his. "Possibly everyone." a smirk slowly lifted his lips. "I had no idea you would be so loud."

"I had no idea you'd lose so much control."

His smirk widened tiredly. "You cannot say anything about losing control, _Sakura_."

A shiver took over her body for a moment. "Maybe next time one of us should remember to put a soundproof barrier around the room."

"No, we cannot do that." he sighed, pressing a soft kiss to her neck. "I have to be prepared at all times in case of an emergency, even if I am not… decent." Sakura bit her lip, trying to bite back her smirk. "If I was to put up a soundproof barrier, that means they will not be able to hear me if I tell them to wait before entering."

"Wow. I never would've thought that you were body shy."

"It is not my body I wish to hide from them." Itachi whispered into her ear. "I do not want them seeing your body."

She chuckled, her body shaking with them for a couple of seconds. "Very romantic."

"Would you rather I allow them to see you at your most vulnerable?" at her pause, Itachi pressed a kiss to her temple. "Is it wrong of me to not want that to happen? That I feel…"

"Jealous? Possessive?"

"…Yes."

When Sakura shifted beneath him, he finally pulled out of her and allowed her to turn around so that they could look at each other. "Not at all." she murmured in reply and stroked his cheek softly. "I don't know what we are to each other, but… I like this. What I'd like even more is that I'm the only one you're doing these things with."

He frowned. "I am not homosexual, Sakura. Or bisexual."

Her eyebrows raised in surprise. "Really? You haven't even experimented?"

"No."

She shrugged. "Your choice, I guess. But… I _am_ the only one you're doing these things with, right? I can remember you saying something in your letter about having a lover back in the village, but I couldn't tell if you were being serious or not."

"I said to you, '_I could have a lover back in the village, for all you know_' because you insinuated that I was a bachelor – or so rumours have been saying." noticing how she stiffened beneath him, how she pulled her hand back a fraction with wide eyes, he sighed. "I do not have a lover, Sakura. I am tool for our village, meaning I don't usually have any time to… relax."

"No girlfriend? Like, ever?" he shook his head and Sakura bit her lip. "I've had boyfriends before. Well, you can't really call them that. I think I was delusional growing up, because I pretended to my parents that Sasuke–kun was my boyfriend, even though he denied it every time he saw them." Itachi chuckled at the blush on her cheeks. "And then… There was Gaara."

He had wanted to speak about her relationship with Sabaku no Gaara for a while now, but hadn't known how to bring it up. Was that strange? Considering they had literally just had sex, most would consider it strange. However, neither of them were tired or in the mood to sleep and he wasn't needed for anything until much later on in the day. Now was the best time to talk about anything and everything. "How did your relationship work?"

There was a moment of silence as she frowned up at him. "You seriously want to know?"

A small smile curved his lips. "I don't see the harm in knowing."

Despite his words and knowing, hoping, that he would not judge her, Sakura couldn't help but bite her lip and avert her eyes. "It was physical. I mean, we _tried_ to fall in love with each other – there was heat between us, this electricity… a spark! But no matter how hard we tried it was just not happening." tears threatened to fill her eyes but she forced them back, although her lips pulled downwards as she spoke again. "It hit me hard when I realised that. And… It made me question what was wrong with me. Gaara, he… He told me so many times that he didn't think it would be possible for him to fall in love, but… me being the stubborn person that I am, accepted the challenge." her lower lip trembled. "…and I failed."

And it hurt them both in the end.

"Sakura…"

She shook her head. "I'm fine. We both agreed that it would be best to end it before things became more complicated, before the council and the alliance were brought into it. I think… Part of the reason why we even… tried… was simply to just… get away from it all."

"Were you not concerned by the fact he is a jinchūriki?"

Itachi was somewhat startled when Sakura's eyes snapped to his and narrowed. "No. Maybe when I was younger. But when he started changing, when he opened up and let people in, I realised that Gaara's a good person deep down. It's not his fault that Suna forced him into becoming a jinchūriki. Just like it's not Naruto's fault!"

"I didn't mean it like that, Sakura. I was stating the fact that there are a lot more risks with being the vessel for the Ichibi than the Kyuubi. Starting with the fact that he cannot _ever_ fall asleep. Were you not worried that something could have happened to you?"

Hearing his reasons, Sakura sighed and relaxed once more. "Sorry for snapping. I'm just protective of those two, you know? They've both had hard lives and I just want them to be happy. As for your question… Yes. There were times when I was a nervous he would fall asleep, but…"

"But?"

"I don't know." she smiled softly. "I guess after the first night I kind of accepted that if it happened, it happened. I simply hoped I would be fully dressed if Shukaku did plan on paying a visit."

Itachi shook his head. "That is a tasteless joke, Sakura."

She grinned, pulling him down against her. "Who said I was joking? He's a very sexual beast."

To stop himself from crushing her with his weight he put his hand higher on the bed, over her head, only to pause as he felt something odd. His eyes followed his arm and Itachi blinked in surprise at the sight of his sheets. "…You tore my bedsheets?"

A fierce blush swept over her cheeks the moment she lifted her hands over her head and felt what he was looking at. They were practically shredded. "…Sorry."

"This has happened to you before?"

"Sort of." she grimaced. "Um… Can we just leave it as…"

"As?" Itachi pushed, raising an eyebrow as he glanced down at her once more.

"Sometimes I can't control my strength." Sakura huffed and averted her eyes. "If I get too… excited – Itachi, don't smirk at me like that! It's not funny." his smirk grew, making her pout. "You won't be smirking next time when it's your back."

He actually chuckled at that. At least there was going to be a next time! "What is the worst that can happen? I am a sh–"

Giving him a blank look, Sakura stated, "I almost broke _Gaara's_ arms." And his ribcage. And his shoulders.

Oh, his hands too.

It took a lot to stun Uchiha Itachi but he could not deny that right at that moment in time, he was staring at Sakura with wide eyes. "You…"

"I didn't actually break them, but he had some nasty bruises not even an hour later."

"…I see." he paused. "But did his sand not protect him?"

There was another blush on her cheeks. They had made an agreement to keep sand out of the bedroom. "No. Sand burns aren't comfortable."

Sand burns? But how would she–

Oh.

Lowering himself completely against her and resting his hand at her hip, he gave her a smirk, but just as he was about to say something, she interrupted him. "So what about you? Any past flings I should know about?" Itachi shook his head. "None at all? Not even one night stands?"

"I never had the time and if I did, then I did not have the energy. You are forgetting that I was incredibly ill during my teenage years, Sakura. Add that to the amount of missions I was given…"

Her eyes widened. "Did I take your virginity?"

Itachi chuckled. "No."

A frown softly pulled at her features. "…I'm confused. You said you've never – wait. Did you lose your virginity on a mission?"

"We needed information, so I seduced the target. It was as simple as that."

"But doesn't that bother you?" Sakura asked and her frown deepened as she ran a hand through his hair. "That you lost your virginity to some stranger?"

"No." It was for the sake of the village.

Her eyes drifted up to the ceiling of his cabin, narrowing on the cracks in the wood. "I can't even begin to imagine what I'd feel like if I had to lose my virginity for a mission."

Shifting, Itachi leaned more onto her left side, his hand twirling pastel pink hair around his fingers. "You gave your virginity to Gaara–kun."

"…Yeah."

A deep exhale washed over her, sounding more like a sigh. "Sakura, I know about your history with my brother."

"W–What?"

"I've known for a while now, because of _Tsukuyomi_. Honestly, I thought you were aware of how much I knew, but… looking at you now, you're definitely surprised."

She closed her eyes, refusing to meet his. "Are you mad at me?"

Mad? Why would he be mad? Itachi frowned and gently cupped her face, making her eyes open when his thumb began stroking her cheek softly, soothingly. "No, because I have no right to be angry. It is in the past, Sakura. I will admit that, yes, it is odd for me to think of you with Sasuke in such a way and for a while, I questioned how you acted around one another, wondering if you were possibly still in love with him." her mouth opened, about to argue with him, but Itachi cut her off with a smile. "I know you are not in love with Sasuke, Sakura."

Her hand slipped away, dropping to his arm and holding it firmly, as though she was locking him in place. "It was more than a kiss."

"I know."

How could he be okay with that? Yes, it was in the past, but…

But what?

For the longest time, Sakura had been pushing from her mind what had happened that night on the Hokage Monument. No they had not had sex but they had almost had it. Gaara was the first man she had ever had sex with, but Sasuke was the first man to ever touch her sexually. The part about it being awkward was not a lie. Because it had been so very awkward. Their movements had been uncertain, had been clumsy. It was almost like they had been acting mechanically, on what they believed they were supposed to do. At first it had been somewhat easy to ignore the uncomfortable feeling of making out with one another, of a little bit of petting here and there, but when Sasuke had slipped his hand into her underwear, had touched her so very intimately…

It was like something had snapped in them. They had broken away from each other, panting hard and the previous uncomfortable feeling had nothing on the new one that replaced it.

But it had brought them closer together in an odd way. After talking, getting everything off their chests, they had grown more comfortable around each other. They felt like they could be themselves. He was her best friend! Never in a million years would her younger self had believed such a thing could happen.

"How can you be okay with it?" Sakura finally asked with a sigh. "If I had a sister and found out you'd done things with her, I'd… I don't know. I just wouldn't be okay with it."

"Are you saying you're not okay with this, with us?"

"No! Not at all." she practically yelled, her eyes widening. "No. Nothing… It's not like that between me and Sasuke–kun. We're best friends. But I know that not a lot of guys appreciate their lovers having male best friends who were somewhat former lovers – if you can even call him that. They get jealous and possessive."

"Sasuke is my brother, Sakura."

She frowned. "Yes, I know. But–"

"Which means I know him well."

"Yeah–"

"You may love each other, but you're not _in love_." he murmured. "That is why I am okay with this." shifting once more so that he was closer to her, Itachi cupped her cheek, marvelling at how she leaned into his touch, how she was so very accepting of him. "I acknowledge the fact that we may have possibly gone about this the wrong way. Usually, it is best to take the girl you're interested in on a date before any of this." her eyebrows knitted together, watching him nervously. "But if you don't mind, then I don't." Itachi then sighed, raising an eyebrow. "As for being jealous and possessive of your male best friends…" she bit her lip but smiled brightly when he smiled at her, telling her, "I trust you."

Not exactly 'I love you' but that wasn't too surprising. There was still a lot to find out about each other and just because they were having sex, it didn't mean they were in love. However, Sakura hoped that it worked this time. Third time lucky and whatnot.

"I trust you, too."

Itachi chuckled, feeling incredibly relaxed. After a moment however he grabbed the covers and pulled it over their bodies, sighing as he did so.

Not even a second later, there was a knock at the door.

Sakura tensed and her hold on Itachi's arms tightened to the point where it was painful.

"Sakura."

She winced. "Sorry. I'm just…"

"_Itachi_." hearing Shisui's voice allowed them to relax, seeing as he already knew about them and would know not to just barge in. "_A scroll from Hokage–sama has arrived for you._"

Now? But there should not have been anything to discuss. "Is it an emergency?"

"_No, but it may be best that you read it now._"

That was true. Reluctantly (although he did not show it), Itachi climbed out of the covers, Sakura immediately lifting them around her chest so that nothing was on show. Whilst she did he quickly pulled on a pair of pants before opening the door, revealing Uchiha Shisui. There was no awkwardness as he held out the scroll, not allowing his eyes to travel into the cabin, respectful of Sakura's privacy and Itachi's possible possessiveness.

Without saying a word, he made the seal to open the scroll, his eyes narrowing a fraction at the contents.

"We're all going home." Itachi stated, his eyes skimming through the scroll with hidden shock. "Tomorrow. More shinobi will be sent here to take over until Hokage–sama arranges new teams for each base camp, so that none of us will have to stay here as long."

"That's…" Sakura sat up slowly, holding the sheet tightly to her chest. "That's great!"

Shisui seemed to be stunned, though hid his shock just as well as Itachi. "It is. Should I inform the others?"

The younger Uchiha shook his head, closing the scroll and lowering his hand. "No. I will call for a meeting tonight before the perimeter runs and inform them all then." It was his duty as leader of base camp four, after all. "If they are told now, so early in the day, there is no telling how distracted some of them will become."

True. Accepting the orders, Shisui nodded once and Sakura was silently amazed by the fact that his eyes did not stray into the room once. If she had been in his shoes, she would have been too curious to _not_ look, even if it meant she would be mentally scarred for the rest of her life.

"Oh, by the way," Shisui gave his friend a smirk and even though his eyes didn't meet hers, Sakura could tell it was aimed at her, too, "you have caused both Sasuke and Naruto–kun to go into shock."

Sakura was certain her face could not grow any redder.

* * *

"You're coming home."

"So are you."

She gave him a soft smile as he pressed a tender kiss to her jaw. "But I haven't been here as long as you have. Sure, it's been a few months, but I kind of like it here."

A warm look filled his eyes. "I suppose it has a few advantages."

Chuckling softly as she was rolled onto her back, Sakura couldn't help but look up at him with affectionate eyes. "I'm surprised no one has complained about the fact their taichou hasn't left his cabin all morning and – _Itachi_!" she gasped, fisting his hair in one of her hands. "Already?"

Something very hot and very hard was pressing against her, grinding into her, making her body heat up and her breathing quicken. Her skin was twitching and tingling with anticipation, which only increased when Itachi littered hot kisses up and down her neck. It had only been ten minutes since Shisui gave Itachi the scroll – not even that! And he had knocked on the door mere minutes after their orgasms.

"This is what you do to me."

Not very romantic, but it certainly wasn't bothering her. All Sakura could focus on was the tip of his erection teasing her, was his length rubbing against her, was his teeth nibbling at her shoulder, his breathing quick as he panted against her skin, moistening it.

"I never would've thought…" she trailed off with another gasp when his hand cupped her breast and fondled her gently, though forced herself to continue speaking. "That you had a high sex drive."

He stilled, almost driving her insane. "Oh? And why is that?"

Had she offended him? It was hard to tell. Sakura glanced up at him from beneath her lashes when he pulled back to gaze down at her, unaware of the fact that she was almost causing his self control to completely shatter due to the sight she made. Pink hair was fanned out around her, fresh apple green eyes were hazy with lust and a pretty pink blush swept across her cheeks. "I don't even know. You're always so in control of… _everything_! I thought your sex drive and hormones would also be–"

Impatience made him cut her off. "Around you, I find myself not as in control as I usually would be."

"Because I'm your weakness, right?" she smirked teasingly.

"No." Itachi also smirked, making her bite her lip harshly and her eyes roll to the back of her head before they shut when he entered her without warning. "Because you're you."

A warmth caused her stomach to flutter, though not only with arousal.

She'd always been a hopeless romantic.

"Do we…?"

"Have time?" Sakura nodded, her nails digging into his back as Itachi rocked within her at a steady, yet gentle pace. "If we don't, we'll simply make time."

That wouldn't be a problem, however, because of the way she was currently fluttering around his length, telling him that she was already close.

Another thing learned about Haruno Sakura.

She enjoyed surprise sex.

* * *

Nobody had any idea what to say or what to do. They were trying their hardest not to stare at either of them, trying hard not to let their discomfort show, but it was difficult. And instead of it only being those who had yet to make it to ANBU, those who were still new to ANBU, the entire camp was feeling the same thing.

Sakura bit her lip, not meeting either of her teammates' eyes. Whilst Naruto looked upset and was pouting, Sasuke looked as though he had been mentally scarred for life, like what he had seen had traumatised him. No surprise there. Not only had he seen them having sex, but Itachi had refused to stop, meaning that Sasuke had literally watched them having sex, even if it was only for ten seconds. And as the rest of the camp all came to sit down, she noticed that she wasn't the only one avoiding meeting any gazes. Sasuke was avoiding meeting her eyes, just like he was avoiding Itachi's.

"Earlier today, I received a scroll from Hokage–sama." Itachi stated, ignoring some of the accusing looks he was being sent as well as the envious ones. It was no doubt because of the fact they had been told to leave Sakura alone and now, they all knew that Itachi was sleeping with her. "In that scroll, she gave me an update on some changes that are going to be made."

Already knowing what would be changing, Sakura fought back her smile.

"Tomorrow, we will all be returning to the village."

Silence.

They seemed to be stunned.

But then, the men began cheering and talking amongst themselves, talking about how they were going to surprise their wives and children, or for those who did not have either of those, they would be returning home and finally relaxing, sleeping in their own beds.

"What will happen to the camps?" Sai asked, ignoring the cheers behind him.

"Most likely, other teams will be sent in our place." Tenzo told him, looking to Itachi.

He nodded once. "Other teams will be taking over and whilst we are back in the village, Hokage–sama will be making a rota of sorts, so that nobody will have to stay here as long as we all have."

Naruto jumped to his feet, frowning. "What about the other camps?"

A small smile curved his lips. "Kakashi–senpai will also be sent home, Naruto–kun."

And suddenly, he was cheering just as loudly as the rest of them, Lee joining him as he realised that meant Gai, too.

"You hear that, Sakura–chan, Sasuke?" Naruto demanded, pulling Sakura to her feet and surprising her with a bear–hug. "We can finally get Kakashi–sensei back for ignoring our letters!"

"Hn." Sasuke had to fight back his smirk, though Sakura could see it clearly. "He only ignored you, Naruto."

"_Eh_?" he practically screamed, releasing Sakura and glaring at the youngest Uchiha. "You're lying!"

"I'm not."

"You are!"

"I'm not."

Sakura slapped them both upside the head, folding her arms over her chest once she had. "Stop arguing like children!" then, she smiled. "Naruto, just get Kakashi–sensei back during training." It's what she did. "When he returns, he can't ignore us forever. Sooner or later he's going to bump into us and then, we'll get him."

Naruto laughed evilly, his excited mind rushing through many, many pranks.

As her eyes met Sasuke's, he immediately averted his, making her sigh. It seemed despite giving her permission to be with his older brother (even though she didn't need it, it was nice to have his approval as Itachi was his most precious person), Sasuke did not want to know or see anything about their relationship. In all honesty, Sakura would have preferred that he and Naruto had not witnessed her having sex.

"It was your own fault." she said seriously after a moment of silence, his eyes snapping to her face and the back of his neck burning. "You should know better than to just walk into people's rooms."

Due to the others still celebrating, they weren't heard, though those who were close by could. Itachi smirked. Naruto paled and quickly took a few steps back. Shisui was as blank as ever, whilst Tenzo and Sai had gone to join the others.

In response to her words, Sasuke's blush increased, reaching the tips of his ears and his cheeks. "Who the hell has morning s–"

"We do. Clearly."

His blush increased, much to her amusement. "You should have locked the door."

"You should have knocked."

"You–"

"Sasuke–kun," she sighed, giving him an upset look, "it wasn't even as bad as you're making it seem!"

That haunted look returned to his features and the blush drained out of him, making him just as pale as Naruto, who answered for him. "We saw _everything,_ Sakura–chan. _Everything_!"

Her eyes widened and she suddenly felt extremely self–conscious, even though she knew her team had already seen her naked. That was not the same as being caught in such an intimate moment. Okay, doing it doggy style wasn't that intimate, but… "E–Everything?"

The Uchiha nodded. Naruto pouted again. "You said no to me when I offered–"

She punched him.

And when Sakura was standing up straight, she noticed Itachi raising an eyebrow at her, making her growl with annoyance and not even a second later, Naruto was on his feet, still pouting. "Why do you always go for the weird ones?"

"If I went for 'the weird ones', I'd be with _you_."

"Eh! Sakura–chan, that's–"

"The truth. You're weird, Naruto." Sasuke finally spoke up. If Sakura went for 'the weird ones', then that meant that _he_ was weird, which he was not. He would admit that Gaara was weird and perhaps Itachi could be a little at times, but he was definitely not weird.

The blond shook his head fiercely, glaring at Sasuke. "You're weirder than I am!"

His eyes narrowed. "There is no getting weirder than you."

"Teme!" Naruto growled, looking as though he was about to pounce. "I'm not weird!"

"And Sakura's hair isn't pink."

He paused and tilted his head to the side, frowning. "Yes it is."

Those watching suddenly slapped a hand to their faces. Well, it was only Sakura who did so, but both Itachi and Shisui fought the urge to do the same.

"Are you colour blind, Sasuke?" Naruto asked, eyes narrowing as he leaned forward, like simply looking into Sasuke's eyes would tell him that. "What colour does her hair look–"

Another punch to the face silenced him. However this time, it was from Sasuke.

"Idiot."

* * *

**A/N - I won't be able to update on Wednesday for personal reasons, so I'm posting today instead! I needed something to take my mind off of everything, anyway, so I thought 'why not?'**

**Sadly, my cat died last night. We had her for seven years, since she was just two weeks old. Still not too sure what the hell happened, but the vet said it was a long term illness and even if we had taken her to the vet last week, or even earlier, they probably would have suggested euthanasia. One of the saddest parts about it is that the other two cats know. One of them has been with Gizmo all her life and wouldn't leave her side until we took her to the vets, whilst the other enjoyed tormenting her. She loved it really! They were like an old married couple and he definitely misses her.  
**

**We just need to remember the happy times, right? My older sister made a joke because of how and where we found Gizmo. She said "she's definitely the best thing you can find in a bin". I agree. I remember one time when Gizmo lost it and took out all of the other cats _and_ me! Really going to miss her.**

**SIGH.**

**Anyways, sorry if I made you all sad or dampened your moods!**

**HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! :-)**


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